Nox Noctis
by Lysi
Summary: A few months after the curse is broken, Tohru, Kyo and Yuki receive a mysterious letter. Soon afterwards, they are sent to a new home: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What could Tohru and the Sohmas have to do with the fight against Voldemort?
1. A Mysterious Letter

Disclaimer: Blah blah, don't own, jabber jabber.

Slight AU: The curse was broken somewhat earlier in this story; just after the older Sohma teens (Tohru, Yuki, Kyo) had turned fifteen. The story begins in mid-May. Also, some of the plot details involving Voldemort have changed, but you'll find that out later.

Okay, I hope everyone likes this n.n I tried my very best to be accurate and keep everyone in character. If I got anything wrong please tell me!

* * *

"What's wrong, Honda-san?"

Tohru turned her head slightly to see Yuki standing at kitchen's entrance. "Hello, Yuki-kun," she said breathlessly. "I can't fix breakfast right now, I'm very sorry!"

"Tohru, what are you doing?" Kyo's sleepy voice came from behind Yuki. In the months since the curse had broken, the cousins had been getting along slightly better, although their rivalry continued in many areas; school grades, height, and in particular both their relationships with Tohru. Of course, the sweet Tohru remained obliviously neutral, frustrating them both.

"Owl-san has arrived!" Tohru continued in the same breathless tone. "I think he's hungry."

Both boys craned their necks to look over Tohru's head and the odd situation became clear. A regal looking barn owl, or "Owl-san" as Tohru had so politely named him, was perched haughtily on top of the refrigerator. Feathers were scattered everywhere and some had nestled in Tohru's long brunette locks.

Tohru grinned sheepishly when she noticed Yuki and Kyo's incredulous stares. "I thought I might shoo him out the window, because I thought perhaps he had lost his way...but it seems he is in no hurry to leave...I'm sorry for chasing you, Owl-san!" Tohru bowed apologetically to the owl.

"Don't apologize to the bird, moron!" Kyo groaned, thumping Tohru on the head. "It's just an owl. I'll chase him out for you."

The bird stared at him unblinkingly, with what seemed to be an expression of contempt. Kyo glared back.

"Get out of here!" Kyo commanded. The owl didn't move. "Go on! Move it!" The owl grew bored and rotated its head until it was staring at Kyo upside-down.

"Get out, Owl-san— I mean, you damn bird!"

"It's not working, Kyo," Yuki commented with a long-suffering sigh.

"OH YEAH? YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER?"

Ten minutes later, the owl was daintily taking leftover sukiyaki from Yuki's fingers. "This doesn't look like a Japanese owl at all...Honda-san, it looks like he has some kind of paper attached to his leg," commented Yuki. Kyo was sulking by himself in the corner of the kitchen, drinking milk straight from the carton. "Kyo, stop that, it's disgusting," Yuki added mildly. Kyo glared and chugged the last of his milk.

"He does have something attached to his leg," Tohru gasped. "Maybe it's hurting him! Oh, let's get it off!" For all of her panic, Tohru's fingers were gentle and nimble as they worked at the bindings tying the paper to the owl's scaly leg. He waited patiently as Tohru removed the paper.

"Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, the paper is folded very neatly," Tohru announced. Both young men looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "This means...it wasn't stuck on Owl-san's leg by accident!" Tohru beamed, very proud of her deduction. Yuki smiled; Kyo rolled his eyes.

"Tohru, it was tied to his leg with a length of twine," Kyo sighed. "We already knew someone had tied it on there."

Tohru deflated like a burst soap bubble. Then she suddenly perked up again with a huge smile. "Kyo-kun is so smart!" she said happily. Kyo suppressed an embarrassed grin and instead said "Humph" and turned away.

"I wonder who tied it there," Yuki wondered aloud. "Let's unfold the paper and see what's on it, if anything."

"No, Yuki-kun!" cried Tohru as Yuki reached for the paper. "You can't do that!" Yuki paused and Tohru continued, taking the paper out of Yuki's reach. "Opening other people's mail is very rude," Tohru said almost apologetically, clutching at the folded piece of paper. "Plus it would be breaking the law. I can't let Yuki-kun break the law."

"I'll break the law, then!"

All three turned to see Shigure standing in the doorway, striking a dramatic pose. Kyo moved closer to the window, as if plotting his escape. Shigure beamed and strolled into the kitchen.

"What have you found, my lovely little flower?" he teased, taking the paper gently from Tohru. "I'm guessing our avian friend here brought us this lovely surprise!"

"How the hell did you know?" Kyo demanded. A strange sort of look crossed Shigure's face, but he recovered almost instantaneously and grinned. "Why, I've been listening at the door, of course!"

Kyo clenched his teeth and balled his fist, but said nothing as Shigure turned towards Tohru again.

"It's so wonderful that I have my little Tohru around to keep these rowdy boys in check! Why, Yuki might have broken the law if it weren't for my cute wife!"

"SHIGURE—"

"Calm down, boys," Shigure said reprovingly. "As I was saying, I will break the law. One of us has to open this letter, and since I am the adult here, I will make the sacrifice and shoulder the burden of being thrown into jail!"

Tohru started to protest, but Shigure had already opened the letter with a flourish. "Ah," said Shigure, his face dropping.

"What is it?" Yuki asked.

"I'll be going to jail after all," sighed Shigure, "for I have illegally opened your mail, Tohru-kun!"

"M-my mail?" squeaked Tohru.

"Well, also Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun's mail," Shigure added as an afterthought.

"Who the hell is sending us mail by—by OWL?" Kyo demanded. Shigure shrugged, seeming totally unconcerned. Kyo joined Tohru and Yuki at the table and the three bent over their letter. Yuki quickly scanned the script.

"I don't understand," Yuki said with a frown creasing his brow. "I knew it couldn't be a Japanese owl...though why would someone write us a letter in English?"

"Read it and see what it says, Yuki," Shigure suggested mildly. Yuki bent to the paper again.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Misters Kyo and Yuki Sohma and Miss Tohru Honda,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you each have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours Sincerely,_

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"What in the world?" Yuki said incredulously. He was the best at reading in English, so he had finished first. There was a pause as Kyo and Tohru continued to read. Suddenly Kyo stood up and slammed his fist into the table.

"What the HELL?" Kyo demanded. "Is this some kind of stupid joke?"

"I don't understand," murmured Tohru. "Oh, I wish my English were better!"

"Don't worry, Honda-san, it doesn't make sense to any of us," Yuki told her reassuringly. "It's not your English that's the problem. I've never encountered the word 'Mugwump' before..."

"Look," Kyo pointed out. "There's another small piece of paper attached..." He removed the smaller piece of paper and laid it on the table. It was a note, written in the tidy but stiff Japanese used by foreign scholars.

_Greetings, Sohma Kyo-san, Sohma Yuki-san and Honda Tohru-san._

_I understand that you may be somewhat confused by the letter you have just received. I would like to meet with you and explain a few things. I will stop by Sohma Shigure-san's house at noon tomorrow. Please be there to receive me. I apologize for inviting myself into your home and hope that I may somehow make it up to you._

_-Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster_

"This has to be a goddamn joke," Kyo growled.

"Well, we'd better prepare for our visitor!" Shigure said cheerfully. "Tohru-kun, please choose some tea for tomorrow and make sure the house is tidy!"

"Y-yes!" Tohru agreed and left the kitchen quickly.

"Wait, WHAT?" Kyo yelled. "You're taking this crap SERIOUSLY?"

"You're letting a stranger invite himself into our home?" Yuki bristled.

Shigure smiled somewhat darkly. "Wait and see," he said mysteriously. He left Yuki and Kyo to fume by themselves, grinning enigmatically.

* * *

That's it for the first chapter! Please, please review so I know if I should continue this or not! See you all next chapter (hopefully u.u)

-Lysi


	2. Introducing Mr Albus Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Fruits Basket. I do, however, own YOUR MOM.

Thank you to my reviewers, Rena the pirate jedi wizard (LOVE the username) and Twilight cloversocks! (These two also added me to their Story Alert/Favourites! Thank you so much!) Thank you also to Neokstar for adding me to their Story alert list!

Enjoy Chapter Two!

* * *

The next day at noon, the Sohma doorbell rang. Tohru hurried to answer it. Despite themselves, Yuki and Kyo couldn't help peering over her head to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

It was an elderly man, tall and very thin. His silver beard and long, flowing hair hung down to his waist and he was clothed in sweeping purple robes. His eyes were a remarkable, sparkling blue and he had a very long nose. He smiled kindly at Tohru as she greeted him nervously.

"You must be Honda-san," he said in nearly flawless Japanese. His accent was somewhat stiff, like his writing had been, but he spoke with a fluency rarely heard in foreigners.

"Yes," she said politely, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Please, come in and sit down. Would you like some tea, Dumbledore-san?" Yuki and Kyo had reminded her that the family name was written after the given name in English, making sure that Tohru didn't make the mistake of calling him "Albus." The two boys had accepted that Tohru would likely be the one dealing with their strange houseguest, and tried to coach her as best they could in dealing with a foreigner.

"I would love some tea, Honda-san. Thank you for your kindness," Dumbledore replied politely. Tohru led him to the kotatsu. Dumbledore thankfully knew what to do, and made himself comfortable as Tohru went to fetch the tea.

"You two are Sohma Kyo-san and Sohma Yuki-san, I presume?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. Kyo narrowed his eyes and looked away, arms folded across his chest.

"Yes," Yuki replied. "It's good to make your acquaintance, Dumbledore-san."

"Hello, Dumbledore," Shigure said in English, appearing in the doorway. "I suppose our lovely Miss Honda has already received you properly?" He made his way towards the kotatsu, and seated himself beside Dumbledore. It was evident that they knew each other.

"Yes, she has," Dumbledore smiled. "What a charming young lady."

"I agree. " Shigure switched back to Japanese. "Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, please join us at the kotatsu." As it would be very rude to refuse, both boys seated themselves at the kotatsu, although somewhat reluctantly. Kyo kept his eyes down, his mouth set into a scowl.

Tohru entered the room with a steaming pot of_ sencha_ green tea. "I apologize for taking so long," she said.

"It's quite alright," said Dumbledore, an amused smile on his face. After Tohru had finished serving the tea, Dumbledore took his cup in his hands and raised it to his lips. Tohru waited until everyone had taken a sip of tea before touching her own cup. Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow.

"Is it Japanese custom for the woman to drink her tea last?" he asked Shigure blandly in English.

"Our Miss Honda is very humble," Shigure explained. "Technically you're supposed to wait for the guest to drink first and the host or hostess drinks last."

"How fascinating," Dumbledore remarked.

Everyone sipped at their tea in awkward silence until Dumbledore set his cup down. "First of all," he said in Japanese, "I must apologize for invading your home so suddenly."

"Oh, no, it's no trouble!" Tohru assured him nervously.

"Thank you, my dear Honda-san," he said gently. "I'm afraid I was rather abrupt in inviting myself over, but I do believe we have some things that need to be discussed."

Kyo could contain himself no longer. "You're here about that prank letter."

A slight smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. "Why do you think it was a prank, Sohma-san?"

"Because...because..." Kyo said, obviously flustered. "There's no such thing as Hog...Hog-Wart School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Plus, the letter arrived attached to an owl's leg! It just doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm forced to agree with my cousin," Yuki spoke up firmly, but politely. "It seems like a very elaborate joke, and I congratulate you for your efforts, but I think you underestimate our intelligence. Shigure, you can give up the joke now. You must have been in on it."

Shigure raised an eyebrow and a half-smile appeared on his face, but he said nothing.

Dumbledore turned to Tohru, who was looking slightly panicked at the turn the conversation was taking. "What about you, Honda-san? Do you think it was a prank?"

Tohru lowered her head and looked steadily into her lap, a curtain of hair concealing her face.

Kyo turned to her, his eye twitching. "Tohru, you can't tell me – you don't – you don't _believe _him, do you?"

She remained still for a moment, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. All of the pressure was on her at the moment, and Tohru wasn't especially good at dealing with pressure. Then she said something very quietly, almost in a whisper.

"What was that, Honda-san?" Yuki coaxed gently. "It's okay, you can say it."

"I do not believe that Dumbledore-san is lying," she said softly, trying to hide behind her hair.

"Tohru, how can you _not_ think this is a prank?" Kyo demanded, his eyes growing worried. "I know you can be spacey sometimes, but I thought you would have more sense than this. A school for wizardry and magic? It's ridiculous! That stuff doesn't exist! It just...it just doesn't make any sense! How can it make sense?" Yuki nodded in reluctant agreement.

Tohru slowly raised her head and looked at Yuki and Kyo defiantly. "But Kyo-kun...wasn't it just a few months ago that you could turn into a cat? That didn't make any sense either, did it?"

It was as if a shell had dropped into the middle of the room and blown up the kotatsu. Kyo and Yuki stared back at her, their eyes wide. There was a long, silent moment in which Shigure grinned victoriously and Dumbledore smiled with just a hint of satisfaction.

"Thank you, Honda-san," Dumbledore said kindly. He turned to address Yuki and Kyo. "I already knew about the Sohma curse, gentlemen, so there is no need to be angry with Honda-san. She hasn't revealed any secrets."

"Okay, old man," Kyo said after a long pause. "We'll pretend for now that your Hog-Wart school is real. First off, why would you want us to come to your school?"

"Yes," Yuki agreed. "Also, why concern Honda-san? I understand that Kyo and I have had a history with curses and what I suppose you could call "magic," but as far as I know Honda-san grew up in a very normal family until...until her mother passed." He realized too late that mentioning Tohru's mother might not be the best idea, but luckily Tohru masked the hurt in her eyes very skilfully.

"I'm going to explain something to the three of you," Dumbledore said gravely, "and I must ask you to listen and contain your skepticism until I have finished. May I ask that of you?"

The three teenagers' curiosity had gotten the better of them, and so all three nodded.

"In our world," Dumbledore began, "Some people are born a little different from the others. While some people are able to make their way in the world by inventing machines and technology that is simply amazing," here he gazed fondly at the television, "some people are born with certain powers."

He paused to let it sink in, and then continued. "For lack of a better word, these people are born with magic. Over time, all of the people born with magic bonded together and formed the wizarding community. The wizarding community has functioned for eons hidden from the eyes of non-magical people. We take great pains to keep ourselves hidden.

"In time, we discovered the different things we could do with our magical powers and began to pass these secrets on through the generations. After much time had passed, the witches and wizards established schools to teach young people about magical history, the uses of spells, and other subjects important in the wizarding world. We also began to discover magical children being born into non-magical families, and we drew these people into the wizarding community.

"This leads me to my very own prized school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Wizards have ways of tracking down people born with magical powers. Thus, we are able to have children at our school from both wizarding and non-wizarding families. When a child with magical powers turns eleven, he or she receives a letter offering them a place at Hogwarts. This is where you three come into the story.

"All three of you received your letters at eleven years old. However, this did not come as a surprise to the Sohma family. Sohma children have a tendency towards having magical powers, but due to their curse, they have never been able to separate from the Head of the Sohma family for long enough to attend any magical school. This generation, however, was different. Shigure and Sohma Hatori-san corresponded with me to inform me of their suspicions; they believed that the curse just might be lifted within this generation. They asked me to reserve Yuki-san and Kyo-san's places and I agreed.

"Honda Kyoko-san, on the other hand, didn't exactly understand her daughter's letter; Honda Katsuya-san had obviously passed away by this time and Honda Kyoko-san couldn't read any English. She dismissed it as some kind of mistake and filed the letter away. It may still be in Honda-san's grandfather's papers somewhere. We would have continued to send letters as is our normal policy, but our Divinations teacher, Trelawney-san, had a strong hunch that we should reserve a place for Honda-san. She tends to be something of an old fraud, but this was one of those things that the Hogwarts teachers couldn't ignore, so we filed Honda-san's letter away and kept in touch with Shigure and Hatori-san.

"Eventually, much to our surprise, we learned that Honda-san had come to live with the Sohma family; it was then that we understood Trelawney-san's strong hunch. Honda Tohru was inextricably linked with the Sohmas and ultimately had a key role in the lifting of the curse. After the curse lifted, you three received your letter, a few years late."

Tohru and Kyo were extremely silent, trying to absorb all of the new information that had been piled on them so suddenly. Yuki's eyes, however, were full of questions.

"Excuse me," he said politely.

"Go ahead, Sohma-san," Dumbledore said.

"You said 'any magical school.' Does this mean there are others?"

"Very clever, Sohma-san," Dumbledore praised, a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, there are magical schools all over the world. There are even a few in Japan. They are, I believe, disguised as Buddhist monasteries and Shinto temples."

"Then why would we go to a foreign school?" Kyo asked sharply. "Sounds suspicious to me."

Dumbledore smiled gently at Kyo. "Because, as much as I'm sure a Japanese magical academy would love to have you, you are needed at Hogwarts."

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "I'm assuming you're not going to explain that," he muttered.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said mildly.

"Um...ah...may I humbly ask a question, Dumbledore-san?"

"Yes, you may, Honda-san."

She paused, lowering her eyes. "How can we start attending a school after missing five years? Wouldn't we be terribly behind?"

Dumbledore laughed; a rich, infectious laugh. "Ever the worrier, aren't you, Honda-san? Please do not worry too much about your studies. I have done a little...how does one say it...a little _cheating_."

"I-I'm afraid I don't understand," Tohru said slowly.

"Let's just say I've been giving the three of you some..._suggestions_ over the past few years. You may find that you already know quite a few things in the backs of your heads. Of course, you wouldn't be aware of the things you knew unless you tried to use them. Honda-san, will you please hold my wand for a moment?" Dumbledore handed her a long, polished wooden stick. It felt alien in Tohru's hands, almost like it was wary of her. "Now, Honda-san, please point the wand at that book over there and summon it for me."

Feeling a little foolish, Tohru pointed the stick towards the book Dumbledore had indicated. Nothing happened.

"You have to command the book to come here," Dumbledore said.

"What do I say?" Tohru asked. Dumbledore smiled and said nothing. Suddenly something occurred to her.

"_Accio_!" commanded Tohru, and the book zoomed neatly over to where they were sitting. It landed on the table easily. Dumbledore reached over to pick it up.

"Well done, Honda-san. Hmmm..._Summer coloured sigh_. I don't think I've ever read something like this," chuckled the old man, turning the book over in his hands. "Is this one of yours, Shigure?"

"Idiot," muttered Kyo and Yuki simultaneously. Then, coming to attention, they both turned to stare at Tohru.

"How the hell did you do that, Tohru?" Kyo demanded.

"I don't know," Tohru said in awe. She put the wand on the table, like she was afraid to be holding it. The three teenagers stared at the unassuming stick in wonder.

"You see?" said Dumbledore. "Your knowledge of magic is buried in your subconscious, but it is still there. However, this is a very flawed way to learn magic," he said sternly. "You three will have to work

harder than other sixth-year students, but you all have the groundwork laid down so that you may continue your magical education."

"Excuse me, Dumbledore-san," Yuki said politely. Dumbledore nodded for him to continue. "I don't really understand. You're saying that we already know some magic?"

"Somewhere in the back of your minds, yes," Dumbledore said. "You were schooled in the martial arts, correct?"

"Yes," Yuki replied. "Although I just learned the basics. I stopped learning martial arts a long time ago. Kyo went on to do more advanced training." Kyo seemed to puff up a little, obviously proud of his martial arts training.

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Now, Sohma-san, imagine you were to attend a martial arts class with your cousin. Would you be able to pick up on some of the things he's learning?"

"Well, yes," said Yuki hesitantly. "Although it would take me much longer, because I learned the basics a long time ago and I'd be a little stiff."

"Precisely," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"So Dumbledore-san is saying that our knowledge is buried in the backs of our minds," Tohru said hesitantly, "and that we will have to work hard to draw it out and continue to learn?"

"Very good, Honda-san. My, my, Shigure, these charges of yours are terribly clever." Dumbledore's smile was genuine. He took his wand from the table and pulled a pocket watch out of his deep purple robes. It was adorned with planets and stars instead of numbers, but Dumbledore seemed to understand it.

"Ah," he said, "It's about time for me to be leaving." The Sohmas and Tohru glanced at the clock on the wall and were surprised to find that an hour had passed. Dumbledore stood and bowed politely. "Thank you very much for hosting me on such short notice," he thanked them.

"Wait!" Yuki protested. Dumbledore smiled at him.

"You must be full of questions, Sohma-san, but I assure you they will all be answered in good time," said the old man enigmatically. "We will meet again soon. Are all the arrangements made, Shigure-san?"

Shigure nodded. "Well, then," said Dumbledore, "I must bid you good-bye for now." With that he turned and walked out the door. As the door closed behind him, everyone could have sworn they heard a loud "Crack!" When Tohru rushed to the window, she couldn't see Dumbledore anywhere.

"Well, I guess that about settles it," said Shigure nonchalantly. "Pack your bags, children. We're leaving for England in three days."

"WHAT?"

"Calm down, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun."

"Why didn't you tell us any of this?" Kyo demanded.

"Would you have believed me? And what would the use have been anyways? We were all still bound to Akito," Shigure reminded him. Kyo opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if he was going to protest, but he finally gave up and turned away from Shigure. Shigure grinned somewhat maliciously, and then he turned to Tohru. "I was going to propose we leave tomorrow, but I wanted to give you some time to say goodbye to your grandfather, Uo-chan and Hana-chan."

"Ah," said Tohru, "I suppose I won't be seeing them for a long time." She sighed sadly.

"Not to mention," Shigure continued, "All of the former Zodiac members are coming over for dinner tonight to say goodbye."

Kyo groaned and stomped away to go pack.

* * *

I apologize for taking so long to explain everything. It kind of annoys me when people try to write Harry Potter crossovers with other series, and they're like "Okay, a bunch of Japanese kids receive a letter to attend an English magic school, and they accept it and go to live in England without overcoming any linguistic or cultural barriers. Great, let's move on to the romance scenes!" So, I've tried to flesh this one out a little more. This is the last chapter of laying down the groundwork, though, and I promise things will get more exciting next chapter.

Thank you so much to my reviewers and to the people who added me to their Story Alert lists! I'm not one of those authors who will go "I won't update till I have x numbers of reviews!" However, I would really appreciate it if people took the time to review. I put a lot of effort into my writing and I would appreciate knowing that I'm not just writing into an empty void.

Okay, I'm finished rambling! Next chapter, Tohru and the Sohmas arrive in England and the fun begins. Who is that gigantic man waiting for them in a dark pub? Will Tohru's English ever improve? What will they make of Diagon Alley?

Haha, Tohru and the Sohmas sounds like a band name...think Josie and the Pussycats! Or rather, the pussycat and the rat! Oh, I crack myself up. Anyways, see you all next chapter!

Lysi


	3. The Leaky Cauldron

Disclaimer: Don't own, blah blah. I have no energy for these disclaimers uu

Thank you so much to my lovely reviewers! Please remember to drop a review if you read this story, I would really appreciate it!

Lastly, I apologize profusely for taking so long. The reasons? Piano auditions, school, and...drumroll, please...sewing my Tohru Honda costume for Otafest! nn Now that's all out of the way, so I shall be able to update more often!

* * *

In all of their sixteen years, Tohru, Kyo and Yuki had never boarded an aeroplane.

Dumbledore had decided that he wouldn't introduce them to magical forms of travel just yet. The three teenagers had had quite enough excitement for now; plus this would be their first time traveling to any place outside of Japan. Thus, the decision to travel to England via aeroplane was made.

The old wizard had, of course, learned about aeroplanes and how one goes about traveling by aeroplane through Muggle books, but he had only actually been on an aeroplane once. Many wizards would have felt distinctly uncomfortable about something that flew without using magic, but the serene Hogwarts Headmaster had utmost faith in Muggle inventions. After some shenanigans purchasing aeroplane tickets and going through Customs at Narita International Airport, the Headmaster, Shigure, and their three young charges were safely seated on the aeroplane.

As the plane took off, the reactions of the small group were varied. Tohru pressed her face up against the window but was soon forced to look away as they flew higher and higher. Yuki avoided looking out the window with a slightly nauseous expression on his face. Shigure, Kyo and Dumbledore, however, sat in calm silence. Shigure had flown in aeroplanes a few times before and Dumbledore, of course, was curious and somewhat delighted by what he called 'a truly genius Muggle invention.' Kyo, on the other hand, wasn't particularly concerned either way. He still retained some catlike tendencies, such as hating water, loving fish, and not particularly minding heights.

As the plane righted itself from its ascent and continued at a set altitude, Tohru began to grow nervous. "Yuki-kun," she said softly. "Yuki-kun, I'm afraid my English isn't very good…would you mind…maybe helping me study?"

"I'm sorry, Honda-san," moaned Yuki. "I think I need to close my eyes for a moment."

"That must be airsickness," commented Dumbledore mildly in English to Shigure. "How fascinating."

"I'll help, Tohru," Kyo said shortly. "Come sit over here and we'll practice."

"Thank you so much, Kyo-kun!" Tohru beamed. "I thank you humbly for your help!"

"Kyo-kun can speak English after all?" Shigure said placidly.

"Shut up, Shigure." Kyo switched to English. "Okay, Tohru, we'll practice a mock conversation."

"His English is very good," Dumbledore commented to Shigure. "I would never have guessed."

"Kyo's always thought that English is a waste of time and speaks in Japanese unless he absolutely has to. He hides the fact that he's good at English because he's stubborn," Shigure replied.

Kyo ignored them. "We'll start now, okay?" he asked Tohru. She nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "Hello, how are you?" he said clearly and slowly.

"I am good, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm fine. What's your name?"

"I am called Honda Tohru. What is your name?"

"Hold on, Tohru," Kyo said patiently in Japanese. "In English, we don't use 'I am called Sohma Kyo.' They say 'My name is Kyo' or simply 'I'm Kyo.' Also, watch out for the order of the names. Given name goes first, remember?"

"What's Ai-m?" Tohru asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"It's a contraction, remember? Mayuko-sensei explained it to us." Comprehension dawned on Tohru's face as she remembered. "Try to use contractions more or else you'll seem very stiff."

"Okay, Kyo-kun," Tohru replied. "I'll try again." She switched to English. "My name is Hon- Tohru Honda. What's your name?"

"I'm Kyo Sohma. Nice to meet you, Tohru."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sohma."

"Hang on, Tohru," Kyo said again in Japanese. "First off, good job on remembering the English equivalent of –san. However, you can't just call people Mr. this or Ms. that. Remember, the rules for names are different in English. You can call a teenager your age or younger by their first name without even asking."

"I remember," said Tohru slowly. "And you can use –san for people older than you or in a higher station."

"Yes," agreed Kyo.

Over the next three hours or so, Tohru's English improved greatly, although still not as good as Yuki's or Kyo's. She was still very reluctant to use first names and her speech was quite formal. All in all, though, Kyo was proud of her progress. He suggested a break, and shortly afterwards he and Tohru discovered the in-flight movies.

"Ah, Kyo-kun! Look! There are _pirates_," gasped Tohru. "A movie about pirates! How amazing!"

Kyo grinned at her and leaned over. "Mind if I watch with you?"

Tohru blushed and nodded her head. "Of-of course I don't mind, Kyo-kun."

Over the next three hours, the two became completely caught up in the epic, swashbuckling tale of pirates fighting to regain their freedom. Kyo, of course, immensely enjoyed the fast-paced battle scenes. Tohru, on the other hand, wondered constantly about minor characters and was very focused on back stories.

"Kyo-kun," she interrupted.

Kyo kept his eyes glued to the screen. "Yes, Tohru?"

"You see that pirate there? The one covered in barnacles? I wonder if he left a wife and family back home when he was pulled into service on the eternal ship?"

"Maybe," Kyo grunted.

"Oh," said Tohru sadly. "Poor pirate."

"Actually, Tohru," Kyo said quickly, "He never had a wife or a family. He was a very lonely person and was looking for a reason to live when he was taken into service. It's a good thing he was recruited, or else he might have jumped off a pier and drowned himself."

"You're right, Kyo-kun," Tohru said pensively, totally accepting Kyo's improvised back-story. She went back to watching the movie.

The pirate movie eventually finished, and the next few hours were spent in sporadic, restless bouts of napping. Only Yuki and Shigure slept deeply. Finally the plane landed at the London Heathrow Airport, and the bleary-eyed travelers stumbled through customs and into a waiting car.

Tohru was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. She hadn't quite gotten used to her legs yet after spending ten hours in the air. She could barely keep her eyes open, and even worse, she still felt a little nauseous. The English air was damp and chilly, and seemed to bite at her skin. The humid air was somewhat reminiscent of her home country but she was not at all used to the cold.

She leaned her head on the window, barely aware of Shigure next to her and the two weary teenaged boys in the backseat. Lights blurred past her tired eyes as the car sped through the London streets. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked over at the driver, and suddenly noticed something about him that jolted her into wakefulness.

"O-o-orange hair!" gasped Tohru. The noise was so sudden that it woke both Kyo and Yuki from their stupors. The driver turned and smiled at her. He was a middle-aged man with glasses, flaming orange hair, and a very kind smile. "I'm sorry, I don't understand Japanese," he said politely.

"I believe she was surprised by your hair colour, Arthur," said Dumbledore with a chuckle.

"Ah," said Tohru, her cheeks reddening furiously. "I-I apologize humbly," she said in halting English.

"No worries at all, my dear," the man said with a smile. "Now that you're all awake, I might as well introduce myself. I'm Arthur Weasley."

"Yuki Sohma," supplied the white-haired boy, when his two teenage companions failed to respond.

"Oh!" said Tohru. "I am called Tohru Honda."

"Kyo Sohma," mumbled Kyo. He was staring at Arthur Weasley with a certain fascination.

"Orange hair isn't very common in Japan, is it?" Mr. Weasley said kindly, noticing Kyo's stare. "My whole family is redheaded. I'm sure you'd like them." Kyo grunted and stared down at his knees. Mr. Weasley looked somewhat taken aback, but quickly recovered and turned to Yuki and Tohru.

"How are you two liking England so far?" he asked. "I suppose it's nothing like Japan."

"Y-yes," stammered Tohru. "It is very different."

Yuki had been looking pensive for the last few minutes, and finally spoke up. "Mr. Weasley," he said politely. "This car seems a lot larger than any Japanese car. I didn't think it could hold this many people when I looked at it from the outside. Are all English cars like this?"

Mr. Weasley blushed and looked at Dumbledore, then back at the road. "No; no they aren't," he mumbled.

"I suppose it's magical then," said Yuki with a sort of wonder, examining the car's interior. "How ingenious."

Mr. Weasley laughed nervously. "My, my, Dumbledore, he seems terribly calm about all of this."

"I suppose you could say he's had some experience with magic," said Dumbledore mysteriously, in a tone that suggested he would not provide any explanation. Mr. Weasley turned again to the teenagers.

"Now, Miss Honda and Misters Sohma. There are certain times you aren't allowed to use magic, and around Muggles is one of those times. What I'm doing is technically," he coughed, "highly illegal."

"Muggle?" said Kyo, raising an eyebrow.

"Non-magical people," supplied Shigure. Everyone gave a slight start as he spoke up for the first time. "You three must be very careful around non-magical people. We don't want to let them know about the wizarding world."

"Hai," Tohru agreed obediently.

"Mr. Sohma is absolutely right," Mr. Weasley agreed. "Now, when we reach our destination, we're going to meet my wife and children. Can you three promise you won't, ah, mention our means of transportation?" he said delicately.

"Yes!" said Tohru and Yuki in unison. Kyo rolled his eyes and slumped down into his seat rebelliously. Mr. Weasley swallowed nervously, looking at Shigure as if to ask about Kyo's sullen mood. Shigure shrugged vaguely.

The rest of the car trip passed in a tired kind of silence. Mr. Weasley occasionally attempted to start conversations with the three teenagers, but to no avail; Kyo avoided him sullenly, Yuki was fast asleep, and Tohru was too tired and dazed to remember much of her English. They sped on through the night, the teenagers in a dreamlike haze, Dumbledore sitting in serene silence, and Shigure with a dark, apprehensive expression behind his shaggy brown hair.

* * *

"We're here," Mr. Weasley said gently as the car rolled to a stop. Kyo was immediately alert, jumping out of the car and staring at their ultimate destination. Yuki groggily trudged over to help Tohru out of the car and Shigure stretched casually as he exited the vehicle.

"What the hell kind of school is this?" Kyo demanded in Japanese, staring at the run-down building. "What kind of establishment are you running, old man?"

Dumbledore gazed at him with a polite, uncomprehending expression on his face. "Is there a problem, Mr. Sohma?"

"You heard me," said Kyo, confusion starting to show on his catlike face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sohma, I'm afraid we'll have to converse in English from now on," replied Dumbledore regretfully.

"But why? Your Japanese was fine," said Yuki politely in English.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm afraid the spell recently wore off," he admitted. Kyo's jaw dropped and Yuki started with surprise. Tohru's eyes were like saucers.

"Ah, ah, Mr. Dumbledore," Tohru flustered.

"Professor," corrected Shigure absently.

"Yes, my dear?"

Tohru stammered a few incomprehensible words, then blushed and bowed her head.

Yuki smiled softly. "I think she wants to know if there's a spell that will improve her English," he said with a chuckle.

Dumbledore laughed a full, contagious laugh. "Oh, my dear Miss Honda, I'm sorry," he said, still chuckling. "I can't do that for you. But don't worry," he said with a wink. "Your English is lovely." Tohru turned even redder.

"Anyways, I think it's about time we headed inside," suggested Mr. Weasley with a smile. "No, Mr. Sohma, this isn't Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is The Leaky Cauldron, a pub frequented by magical sorts."

"I knew that," growled Kyo as Mr. Weasley led them inside.

They stepped into the dingy little pub. It was dark and shabby, yet somehow welcoming. A few cloaked figures sat, drinking from large tankards. Mr. Weasley led them through to what looked like a large dining room.

Seated around the table were a number of people. There was a motherly-looking woman with dimples and flaming orange hair, a young woman with bubblegum-pink hair and a pretty face, a stocky, smiling orange-haired man, a man with graying brown hair who looked somewhat haggard, and an imposing, dark-skinned man with a gold earring.

"Ah, Dumbledore," boomed the dark-skinned wizard. "Good to see you. Now that you're here, I'll be heading back home." The word "home" seemed to hold some kind of hidden significance.

"Thank you, Kingsley," said Dumbledore warmly. Kingsley nodded and strode out the door, nodding his head to the Japanese visitors as he passed.

"I think some introductions are in order," said Mr. Weasley. He went around the table, indicating each person with a wave of his hand. "This is my wife, Molly, Nymphadora Tonks, my son Bill, and Professor Lupin."

"Nice to meet you," Bill said jovially. Nymphadora Tonks beamed and Professor Lupin smiled gently. Molly Weasley, however, was up in a moment and bustling towards the three Japanese teenagers.

"Oh, it's so good to meet you, my dears," she said with a welcoming smile, reaching out to shake hands. Tohru and Kyo, not understanding the gesture, bowed politely. Yuki chuckled and reached out to shake her hand. He was the best of the three at understanding Western and European culture, having a natural aptitude for the subject.

"This is Tohru Honda, Kyo Sohma, Yuki Sohma, and Shigure Sohma," introduced Dumbledore. Shigure inclined his head politely and the three teenagers bowed again. Molly beamed delightedly.

"Is that how you say hello in Japan?" she asked with enthusiasm, trying a clumsy bow. Tohru liked this woman immediately, but shyly lowered her eyes.

"Mum," said Bill, rolling his eyes. He, Tonks and Lupin stood up to greet their new acquaintances.

"Nice to meet you, Kyo, Tohru, Yuki, Shigure," said Tonks with a wide smile. She reached out to shake their hands.

"Nice to meet you, Tonks-san, ah, I mean, Miss Tonks," stammered Tohru, a blush rising to her cheeks. The words felt so alien in her mouth, just as the air felt alien on her skin. For a brief moment she was overcome with homesickness.

"Just call me Tonks," said the young witch with a laugh. Tohru nodded meekly. Everyone shook hands with Lupin and Bill, but Tohru barely noticed. Her head had started to feel heavy and her eyelids drooped slightly. Molly Weasley noticed immediately.

"Oh dear, you three look exhausted," she fretted. "We'll show you your rooms." Mrs. Weasley put her arm around Tohru's shoulders and led her towards the stairs.

"Nice meeting you," chorused Tonks and Bill as Mrs. Weasley and Tohru disappeared up the stairs and down the hall into a small room. Dumbledore led Shigure and the two boys to a room down the hall from Tohru's.

"All right, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "This is where you'll be staying tonight. I do hope you'll be comfortable tonight." The room was much neater than the first floor of the Leaky Cauldron. A bed in the corner was adorned with sensible white blankets. There was a small dresser, a sturdy bedside table, and a chair in the corner, but not much else in the way of furniture. The room was slightly chilly, but Tohru was getting the sense that England was a generally chilly place.

"Thank you humbly for your kindness, Mrs. Weasley," the Japanese girl said shyly with a grateful bow.

"Oh, my dear, it's no trouble at all," beamed Mrs. Weasley. "Especially for such a sweet girl." Impulsively, the red-haired woman embraced Tohru warmly as her husband entered the room.

"Tohru, I have your luggage here," said Mr. Weasley. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, thank you," Tohru answered.

"Well, good night, then," called Mr. Weasley as he left the room.

"Good night, dear," said Mrs. Weasley warmly and bustled out into the hall. Tohru changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed, snuggling under the warm covers. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door.

"Ah! C-come in," she said, scrambling out from under the covers. The door opened to reveal Yuki and Kyo, jostling for space in the small doorway and glaring at each other.

"I thought I would come and check on you," said Yuki, pushing through the door ahead of Kyo.

"It was _our_ idea," Kyo growled. His face softened at the sight of Tohru shivering in her sensible cotton pyjamas. "It's been a long day," he said with uncharacteristic gentleness. "We just thought it might be a good idea to…to make sure you're okay, and everything."

Yuki smiled softly at Tohru, who moved to make space for them on the bed. The two boys sat down on either side of Tohru. Comfortably chatting in their familiar language, the Japanese teenagers talked long into the night about the events of the past few days.

* * *

Finally, a decently long chapter with a decent amount of Harry Potter characters! Hooray! I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope you caught the Pirates of the Caribbean reference, seeing as it is my favourite movie in the world and it prompted my decision to be a pirate when I grow up. Please review, and see you next chapter!


	4. Meet Harry, Ron and Hermione

Okay, first, before the disclaimer…

Oh my God, I am _so_ sorry for abandoning this story. This chapter lay, half-written, in the depths of my computer for a _very_ long time – the only weak excuse I can give is that I started University and got really, really busy. I humbly bow and beg forgiveness. It won't happen again! If anyone's still reading this, thank you very much and I will supply you with a long chapter as a peace offering.

Anyways…

I do not own any characters/places from either series. Those belong to the lovely ladies Natsuki Takaya and J.K. Rowling. I can only hope I have done them justice!

In this chapter: Diagon Alley! Hagrid! Oatmeal! And…(drumroll) THE GOLDEN TRIO AT LAST, Harry, Ron and Hermione! On with the story!

* * *

The next morning, Tohru awoke to a series of knocks on her door. "Tohru, dear?" came the kind voice of Mrs. Weasley. "May I come in?"

"Yes," said Tohru sleepily. The matronly woman opened the door gently and bustled over to Tohru's bedside.

"Good morning, dear," said Mrs. Weasley fondly. Tohru sat straight up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley," she said politely. She still felt a little groggy but was very embarrassed that she had been caught sleeping late. Normally, at the Sohma household, she was the first up and ready to prepare everyone's breakfast.

"You're so polite," marvelled Mrs. Weasley. "Are all teenagers like that in Japan?"

"Ah, um," flustered Tohru, caught unawares by the compliment and unsure of how to answer the question.

"Never mind that," said Mrs. Weasley kindly. "I have to leave soon, but I wanted to make sure you three were fed properly before I left."

"Three?" Tohru wondered aloud, puzzled. "Has Shigure-san already eaten?" She was used to making breakfast for four and somehow could not imagine Shigure preparing a meal for himself when Tohru was there to do it instead. None of the three Sohma men showed any sort of aptitude for cooking (except maybe Kyo) and they much preferred a Tohru-made meal.

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, looking a little surprised. "Shigeru...er, Shigure has already left for Japan, didn't he tell you?"

"Ehhhh?" gasped Tohru.

"Yes, he left along with Arthur and Dumbledore this morning. Everyone else but me left late last night."

Tohru's face took on a panicked expression. "Oh, but, but...what are we going to do? I don't know how to get to Hogwarts," she babbled. "Is there a map somewhere? Dumbledore-san must have left a map..."

Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but laugh at the girl's panic. "Goodness, my dear," she said with a chuckle. "We wouldn't leave the three of you on your own like that. After you've had breakfast, I'll be introducing you to your new escort."

Suddenly, the door slammed open with a resounding _BANG!_ Tohru and Mrs. Weasley looked up to see a flaming head of orange hair.

"Oh-" said Mrs. Weasley, a strange tone in her voice. She quickly shook her head and looked again.

"_Damn that Shigure!_" yelled Kyo in Japanese.

"Kyo-kun, calm down," cried Tohru, leaping to her feet.

"What's that idiot yelling about?" came a question from the hall.

"I'll tell you what I'm yelling about," roared Kyo. "That scumbag pervert abandoned us and left us this stupid note!"

Mrs. Weasley was staring helplessly at the three of them, not understanding any of their Japanese conversation. With a pang of guilt at excluding the kind woman, Tohru sent her an apologetic glance and bent over the crumpled piece of paper clutched in Kyo's fist. Once she had smoothed out the paper, she recognized Shigure's narrow scrawl:

_Sorry kids, I know you'll miss me terribly, but yours truly has some important business back in Japan. I'll see you three at Christmas._

_Hugs and kisses (but only to my cute little Tohru-kun!) _(Here he had drawn a little winking face)

_Shigure_

"That scumbag," said Yuki from over Kyo's shoulder. Kyo's left eye was twitching as he jabbed a finger at the paper.

"How dare he make perverted remarks about Tohru like that!"

Yuki's face went dark. He took the paper from Kyo and quite deliberately tore it down the middle, making a long, satisfying ripping noise.

"Excuse us," he said politely to Mrs. Weasley in smooth English. "Our idiot of a cousin has once again caused an uproar."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley in a flustered voice, "oh, no need to worry about that. Ah...breakfast, yes, that's it. I'll show you two down to breakfast while we let Tohru get dressed." And she led them out of the room, Yuki following closely and Kyo slouching behind.

Soon afterwards Tohru was dressed in the new clothes Uo-chan and Hana-chan had insisted she buy for the trip: a white turtleneck sweater, a mid-calf-length pink skirt, and pretty brown boots that came to just above her ankle and laced up in the front. She hesitantly made her way down the stairs, following a combination of strange and delightful smells that wafted from the lower floor.

When Tohru sat down at the breakfast table between Kyo and Yuki, she didn't quite know what to make of the food in front of her.

"Ohh," said Tohru in wonder and confusion. On either side of her Kyo and Yuki were shovelling down food at an alarming rate.

"Try this, Miss Honda," said Yuki, pushing a bowl of some indescribable beige substance towards her.

"That's called porridge," said Mrs. Weasley, seeming to take great amusement in Tohru's confusion. She also seemed somewhat relieved that they were speaking in English. Tohru delicately dipped her spoon into the porridge and swallowed a mouthful. It was a strange texture, gooey but thick. She couldn't fathom the taste.

"Here, Tohru." Kyo sprinkled cinnamon and a bit of sugar on her porridge. "It's better this way," he said competitively, as if wanting to show her that he could be more useful in navigating an English breakfast table than Yuki. Tohru took another taste. Kyo was right; porridge was actually not so bad at all.

After trying various foods at Mrs. Weasley's insistence, Tohru and the boys finished their breakfasts.

"Now that we've got you three fed," said Mrs. Weasley fondly, beaming at them, "I have someone special to introduce to you."

She led them into what looked like a back room, and suddenly, Yuki stopped short. Kyo and Tohru nearly ploughed into him, but then they saw the reason for his sudden stop.

There was the hugest back the three Japanese teenagers had ever seen, covered in an old coat and topped by a wild mane of bushy black hair. It took a moment to register that this was actually a living, breathing man and not some sort of unusual statue. The gigantic man was humming to himself as he tapped at various bricks on the wall with a pink umbrella.

"Hagrid," said Mrs. Weasley, and the giant man turned around. His huge face, obscured by a wild and tangled beard, cracked into a large grin.

"Good mornin'!" he boomed, striding towards them. "Rubeus Hagrid, pleased ter meet yeh!" He stuck out his hand, the size of a dustbin lid. The three stared for a second, and then bowed politely.

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "They aren't very familiar with handshakes in Japan."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hagrid," said Yuki, the first of the three to speak.

"Good day, Hagrid-san." Tohru accidentally slipped back into Japanese formalities and bowed again. Kyo nodded his head curtly.

"Jus' Hagrid's fine!" rumbled the huge fellow. "You mus' be Tohru, Yuki and Kyo." He said their names very strangely, stumbling over the pronunciation and looking like he couldn't for the life of him figure out which names belonged to whom. He grinned apologetically. "Sorry, I can' tell which name belongs ter' whom. Is there a way ter tell boys an' girls names apart?"

"Hagrid!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.

Yuki laughed. "No easy way to tell. Sorry, Hagrid. I'm Yuki."

"Kyo," muttered the cat, fighting a grin despite himself. He liked this upfront, jolly man.

Tohru blushed. "I am called Tohru. It is actually a boy's name," she said shyly.

"It's beautiful, dear," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Ah, found it!" bellowed Hagrid, tapping a brick triumphantly with his pink umbrella. Tohru and Kyo gasped as the wall seemed to rearrange itself, forming a large archway. Tohru inexplicably ducked for cover, throwing her hands over her head.

"Whas' a matter, Tohru?" Hagrid chuckled, his beetle-black eyes crinkling at the corners.

The girl turned tomato red, brushing her skirt off as she stood. "Gomen, gomen nasai!" she burst out, hanging her head.

Kyo laughed for the first time since they'd arrived in England and turned to Hagrid. "Let's get going," he said. The giant man cast a glance at Tohru and then turned and strode through the archway, having to stoop slightly.

Even calm, collected Yuki's mouth dropped open when they stepped into the bright, bustling alley. People were crammed wall-to-wall, clad in all manner of strange garments – long, flowing robes, a variety of strange hats, many carrying owl-cages or other things that Tohru couldn't identify. The place was a whirl of colour, sound, and smell – bright awnings and signs jostled for place and many foreign scents wafted through the air, along with the sounds of talk, laughter, and shouting. Tohru wished her English were better. What was an 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'? What was a 'Florean Fortescue'? Her eyes were round, like huge brown saucers. Even Kyo was caught off guard, staring open-mouthed at the cram of buildings and people around them.

"How d'yer like Diagon Alley?" boomed Hagrid over the crowd's chatter as he lead them through. "Firs' stop, gettin' yer robes."

The three teenagers stood still while being fitted with long, black robes. Next they collected their schoolbooks and supplies, staring in awe at the insides of the shops and the wizarding objects that lined the walls and shelves. Hagrid took them to see the animals – Tohru smiled when the rats practically threw themselves at the glass trying to get at Yuki, and the cats rubbed against Kyo's ankles. For some reason, even though the curse was broken, the Zodiac members still attracted their respective animals.

Last came the wands. The wand-maker, Ollivander, was a rather creepy old man with pale eyes that seemed to peer into your very mind. Ollivander took one look at Tohru and headed immediately for one of the hundreds of long, slender boxes filling the shop from end to end. "Birch with a unicorn-tail core – nice and bendy. Give it a swing, my dear." Tohru took the wand in her hand – it was pleasantly warm – and swished it timidly. Pure white sparkles drifted out of the tip and settled gently on the floor like snowflakes, then vanished.

Ollivander sized up Yuki and had him try a few wands, fussing around with measuring tape and all manner of different types of wood and cores. Finally, a vinewood wand with a dragon heartstring core emitted billows of clean-smelling lavender smoke. Yuki smiled in satisfaction.

Kyo, meanwhile, was growing more and more frustrated as the pile of boxes around him grew. He waved this wand and that, all as Ollivander bustled about the shop. The old man never grew impatient, reassuring Kyo that sometimes wands were picky. He did, however, cast several piercing gazes at the three Japanese teenagers – as if he knew something wasn't quite normal about them, but couldn't guess at what. Tohru felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"Try this one, young man," said Ollivander. Kyo took the wand and waved it impatiently. Suddely orange light sparked and crackled round the room like a miniature fireworks display. Kyo leapt back, nimbly as a cat, before allowing himself a proud grin.

"Interesting." Ollivander peered at Kyo through those pale, weird eyes. "Ash and phoenix feather, inflexible, very powerful. I wonder if you three are what you seem?" he added, almost casually.

Tohru, of course, made things all the more obvious with a pronounced gasp and reddening of the cheeks. Yuki put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and steered her out of the shop; Kyo followed on their heels as Hagrid watched in puzzlement. With an apologetic glance, Hagrid followed his charges. Ollivander smiled thinly as the door closed.

"What was that all abou'?" Hagrid demanded, leaning down towards Tohru. She jumped backwards, and then became mortified at her reaction.

"Gomen nasai, Hagrid-san, we behaved very rudely to Ollivander-san – oh, no, what shall we do – ah, um..."

"Quit flustering, Tohru," sighed Kyo. "That creepy old man was prying where he shouldn't, that's all," he directed at Hagrid.

"We should sit down somewhere," suggested Yuki. "I think it's been a long day and we're all tired."

Hagrid raised a bushy eyebrow. "Sounds good ter me," he said suspiciously. "How 'bout Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop?"

Moments later they were all licking gigantic ice-creams, suspicions and distress forgotten, when a voice called out – "Hagrid! HAGRID!"

The giant turned around just in time to catch someone in a tight bear hug. "Why, it's Hermione!" he bellowed in delight. The girl stepped back. She had bushy brown hair, sparkling eyes and a huge smile. Following her were two boys – a gangly redhead and a skinny boy with jet-black hair. "And Harry and Ron!"

"Hullo, Hagrid!" yelled the boys happily, shaking his massive hand enthusiastically. "What are you doing here?" asked the redheaded one.

Hagrid beamed. "I'm helpin' some new students ter get their school supplies – just like I did with Harry when he was a firs' year."

"Oh!" cried Hermione, catching sight of the Japanese teenagers. "You're new to Hogwarts this year? Are you exchange students?"

"Yes," said Yuki with a warm smile. "I'm Yuki Sohma, and this is Kyo Sohma and Tohru Honda. Pleased to meet you." Tohru stood up and bowed deeply as she was introduced, but Kyo of course only gave a curt nod.

"Blimey, I didn't know there were redheads in Japan," remarked Ron, mouth agape.

"Oh, _do_ have some tact, Ron," hissed Hermione, giving him a discreet smack.

Kyo bristled visibly, but Yuki took no notice – he was too busy staring at the other boy. The skinny one with the unruly black head of hair and the piercing green eyes. Under the boy's thick fringe, Yuki could just make out the feature he was looking for: a thin, lighting-shaped scar.

"Harry Potter," said Yuki. It was not a question.

Harry shifted uncomfortably under the boy's disconcerting gaze. "Er, yeah. Yuki, right?"

Yuki nodded. "I've read about you." He didn't mention this, but Harry was also strangely familiar for reasons he couldn't quite pin down – the unruly dark hair, pointed chin, a certain piercingness in the gaze that seemed to look right through you.

"Oh, is Harry famous among Japanese wizards, as well?" enquired Hermione, fascinated.

"I wouldn't know," said Yuki comfortably. "I did some reading before bed last night; I found a few books on the bookshelf in my room."

Harry stifled a grin. Hermione's expression was practically glowing in the presence of another avid reader.

"Hagrid," said another voice from behind them. It was Mr. Weasley, approaching them with quick strides.

"Arthur," said Hagrid with a large grin. "Yer in a hurry?"

"Regrettably. Molly's whipping up a feast at home," replied Mr. Weasley, placing a subtle emphasis on the word 'home' and winking at Hagrid. Hagrid winked back, very obviously, over the teenagers' heads.

"Let's go, Harry, Ron, Hermione." Mr. Weasley smiled at Tohru, Kyo and Yuki. "Nice to see you three again. All done your shopping?"

Tohru nodded with a smile. Mr. Weasley's eyes softened at the corners before turning to lead the English teenagers away; Ron, Harry and Hermione waved and were quickly swallowed up into the crowd.

* * *

"Nice to see you three _again_? Is that where you were last night?" pressed Ron as they stepped into Grimmauld Place. The dim, slightly dingy hallway was especially dark after the sunny afternoon spent in Diagon Alley. Harry nearly stumbled into the troll's-leg table as his eyes adjusted.

"Forget I said that," Mr. Weasley muttered, his ears reddening.

"That's where Mum was until this afternoon, then," Ron deduced, obviously proud at his own reasoning. "Looking after those three."

"Drop it, Ron," his father said in a dangerous tone.

"What's so important about them?" demanded Harry. Now he was curious – why was the Order of the Phoenix involved with three teenagers from Japan? Thinking back, he figured that that was where Tonks, Bill, Lupin, and Kingsley had gone last night as well.

"DROP IT." Mr. Weasley's tone clearly shut out any further questions, even though Harry was brimming with them.

Harry, Ron and Hermione bolted down the delicious supper Mrs. Weasley had cooked and then retreated up to Harry and Ron's room. Hermione sat primly on the bed, looking expectantly up at them.

"Dad's acting rather dodgy," observed Ron, his expression thoughtful.

"No surprise there," mumbled Harry with a tinge of resentment. "Everyone's been acting dodgy as far as keeping us in the dark goes."

Hermione shot him a warning glance. "It's for our own good," she said, rather condescendingly. Seeing Harry and Ron's exasperated looks, her shoulders slumped. "I know, I know, it's really quite annoying. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation, though."

"Like what?" Ron demanded skeptically.

"Well, they _are_ exchange students all the way from Japan, it's not a stretch for Ministry members to help them settle in and ease the transition."

"_Hermione_," Harry said exasperatedly. "Then why would the greeting party be made up only of _Order members_?"

Hermione sniffed. "It could be coincidence, Harry."

"You're _bonkers_, Hermione!" burst out Ron. "It's obvious there's something weird about them!"

"I think you two are just looking for mysteries where there are none," said Hermione in a very final tone. "Don't we have enough to be thinking about already?"

Harry suddenly felt full of an inexplicable frustration. He told himself it was because he was sick of people keeping things from him – all summer he'd been listening at doorways and scavenging what tiny scraps of information he could, and he was bloody sick of it. A tiny part of him, though, wondered if Hermione was right – was he just looking for mysteries?

Pushing that tiny part aside, Harry turned to Hermione, speaking in a low tone. "D'you think I _want_ our lives to be more complicated? You think I _like_ it?"

Hermione looked stricken. "No, Harry, I didn't –"

"Lay off, mate," Ron said seriously. Harry turned, about to speak, when Ron cut him off. "Don't get angry. I'm with you here – I think there's something not normal about those three. We shouldn't fight, though." Ron looked at Hermione, who was regaining her composure. "Hermione, you can't tell me you didn't feel it."

"You're right. Something did strike me as a bit off. I was just hoping that – that _something_ was just as it appeared," Hermione explained, her voice quiet.

"That redheaded fellow – did you see his eyes?" continued Ron. "They looked almost _orange_. And the one who was talking to us –"

"Yeah, I could've sworn he had purple eyes," Harry broke in, getting more excited.

"Oh, come _on_, you two," Hermione interrupted, rolling her eyes. "So their appearances are a little different – that's _all_ you noticed?" She looked at them expectantly, like a schoolteacher waiting for a correct answer.

Harry gaped at her, trying to ignore the feeling that he'd never notice as much as Hermione did. She impatiently answered her own question. "Did you _see_ how they acted around each other? Every time someone so much as _looked_ at Tohru, Yuki and Kyo angled themselves towards her like they would throw themselves in front of her at any sign of danger."

Harry and Ron looked at her blankly. Hermione gave another impatient sigh.

"Tohru – the girl. Kyo was the redhead and Yuki had the lighter hair. Anyways," she continued, "every time one of you gawped at Kyo or Yuki, you could see Tohru getting uneasy. Those three have a secret that they're protecting, and some kind of bond," she concluded.

"I knew it!" Ron pumped his fist in the air.

"_Shhhh_," hissed Hermione. "Your parents obviously don't want us trying to sort this out."

With that, Mrs. Weasley threw open the door. She looked suspiciously at the three of them, looking like she wished she'd borrowed an Extendable Ear before confiscating them.

"Bedtime," she trilled. "Up to your room, Hermione. You three have a big day tomorrow, you're going off to school!"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione innocently, jumping up off the bed and following Ron's mother out into the hallway. Mrs. Weasley's head ducked back into the room to send a meaningful glance at Harry and Ron.

"Lights out right away, no talking," she ordered. "Sleep well!"

"No talking," Ron snorted after the door closed. "Yeah, right."

"I MEAN IT!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the hall.

* * *

And that's all for now, folks!

Next chapter, the Hogwarts Express, Sorting, and the Feast! Maybe even a few classes! Oh joy, this story is finally GETTING somewhere…hahaha.

So, what do you think? More main characters, and…the PLOT rears its ugly head! Why ARE three Japanese teenagers so important to the Order? Will Ron ever grow some tact? Will Tohru's English ever improve? Who knows. Find out in the next chapter, which will be up soonish!

Please review. I bow humbly and beg. Suggestions, criticisms, comments…tell me what you thought!

'Till next time, Lysi


	5. Hogwarts

I'm back, and it didn't take a year this time! Whooo! Anyways, more authors' notes at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The train had finally started to move.

Tohru had lost sight of Kingsley, the tall and dark wizard from their first night in England, who had escorted them onto the platform. Hagrid had left rather suddenly, leaving them in Kingsley's care. Rather than being anxious, she was starting to get very excited. They would meet all kinds of people, and perhaps she could learn more and more about the wizarding world. She still missed Uo and Hana, and the rest of the Sohmas, but was determined to make the best of this new development in her life.

There had been many more shocking things to see today, including the fact that she had only a short time earlier walked through a solid wall. When they emerged onto Platform 9 ¾, they were _surrounded_ by actual wizard families. Small first years, excited and scared, finally let go their mothers' embraces to board the scarlet train. Older students hung about talking and laughing before leisurely boarding the Hogwarts Express. A group of important-looking students with badges helped usher the first-years onto the train and then went to a special compartment; Tohru thought she recognized Ron and Hermione from the day previous.

After they got on the train, they found an empty compartment to sit in. The train ride went silently for a while, until the students with badges started to file down the halls – apparently they were no longer required to stay in their special compartment. Three girls with blue badges filed into their compartment. It was obvious they were waiting for more friends to come. Not wanting to be a bother, Tohru got up to make room. Kyo and Yuki reluctantly got up to follow her into the hall. They started to walk, looking for another place to sit.

"Tohru! Yuki! Kyo!"

Tohru whipped around, her brown hair flying. "Hai!" she responded obediently. "No…yes! Ah, I mean, yes!"

The girl from yesterday with the bushy brown hair, Hermione, was beckoning to them from one of the train's compartments. She sat amidst a pile of books, apparently to keep herself busy during the train ride – her companions, Harry and Ron, apparently had no such intention. They were already spreading out one of Mrs. Weasley's home-cooked lunches.

"Granger-san!" Tohru was excited to discover that she remembered their names. Hagrid had told Tohru, Yuki and Kyo the names of the trio after they had left, seeing as they hadn't been properly introduced. "Potter-san, Weasley-san!"

"What's a 'san', then?" muttered Ron under his breath, confused. He looked up at Tohru. "Yuki, right?"

"Shut _up_!" Hermione whispered sharply, shooting him a poisonous glare. "Hello, Tohru. Would you three like to come sit with us?"

"That would be nice," Yuki said smoothly, with an impeccably polite smile. Tohru's face flushed a bit with happiness and she bowed deeply as Kyo ushered her in, avoiding everyone's eyes. They arranged themselves in the compartment – Kyo nodded briefly as he made sure to sit next to Tohru.

Hermione was hissing information into Ron's ear, trying to be tactful. "No, no, that's Tohru, that's Yuki and that's Kyo – 'san' is a Japanese honorific translating roughly to 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' – bowing is common there, it's kind of like a handshake here –" Kyo seemed to be muttering to Tohru in Japanese. The English teenagers couldn't understand, but he was instructing her in a similar way to Hermione. "No, Tohru, we don't use 'san' in English – you can use their first names – you don't have to bow –"

"Fancy a chocolate frog?" Harry offered awkwardly, to break the slight amount of tension building. Tohru was, in fact, extremely curious; but she didn't want to impose horribly on Harry Potter with her rudeness. Yuki sidestepped the problem by coaxing Tohru to take the frog. Harry wondered to himself if life in Japan was always this complicated or if Tohru herself was just a little odd.

As Tohru neatly unwrapped the chocolate treat, the frog hopped right into her outstretched palm. Her big brown eyes became like saucers and her hands twitched, dropping it onto her lap. "Ahhhh!" she gasped. "There is a mistake! This is a real frog!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "No, it's OK, it's just chocolate. You can eat it." He liked Tohru immediately and he knew how she felt – for someone who hadn't grown up in the wizarding world, its many wonders were often overwhelming.

Tohru was still staring at the frog, her mouth parted and her eyes enormous. _I can't eat you, Frog-san_! She panicked inwardly. _But I can't refuse Potter-san's gift! What to do?_

Ron came to her rescue by scooping the frog off her lap and popping it into his mouth. "See, Tohru, s'all right," he mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate. "Anyone care for a Droobles Best Blowing Gum?"

Some time later into the train ride, Yuki and Hermione were conversing avidly about Hogwarts' history. Yuki was fascinated, but also worried. It felt like a strange dream that he hadn't woken from yet, something impossible. It was similar to how he'd felt when the curse first broke. He knew it was gone, but – how could that possibly erase his fears? The lonely room of his childhood was still standing in the Sohma mansion, and Akito still lived there. Couldn't he still wake up to find that that was his inevitable future?

The other thing eating at his heart was guilt – he'd left all the others to embark on this strange journey. He missed the other Zodiac members in a way that almost hurt him physically. Hatsuharu, Momiji, Rin, Kisa, Hiro, Kagura, Hatori, even Shigure and Aaya and Ritsu and, surprisingly, Kureno. Was it normal to miss them this much, even when the curse was broken? How could they separate at this crucial time, before they'd learned to live without each other?

Hermione was too perceptive, noticing Yuki's furrowed brow and distant eyes; even as he asked her detailed questions about Hogwarts and wizardry in general. She watched all three carefully, the gears in her mind turning enthusiastically. Harry could almost see right through her forehead into her furiously working mind. The tiny voice in his mind suggested that they were just seeking out mysteries to distract themselves from their all-too-real problems – the rise of the Dark Lord, the Ministry of Magic, and whatever things the adults were keeping from them. But if Hermione was seriously considering these three – it had to mean something, didn't it? Something just seemed off to him. _Why_ would three Japanese teenagers come to Hogwarts? If they had Beauxbatons in France and Durmstrang in Scandinavia, surely they had wizarding schools in Japan. And why were the Order members involved? He couldn't make it add up, except for one thought that bounced around his head, nipping at the sides of his brain – _these three are something unusual_. _They're not what they seem_.

Kyo leaned his flaming orange head against the wall of the compartment. He didn't like this…any of it. Being told with two days' notice that he was leaving his home country to go and study crackpot magic tricks. Shigure had acted like he was doing them a big favour, that it was some kind of _privilege_. Screw that. The curse was supposedly broken, why were they still being ordered around like Akito's sad little puppets? Why the hell was Tohru involved? It wasn't like Shigure was her legal guardian, or like she even had any reason to answer to the Sohma family's stupid whims. He wanted to hit her sometimes, for being so damned obedient – smack some sense into her. She was so lucky not to be born into that cursed family, to have been brought up not having to obey the twisted orders of the Sohma household. Even Kyo, as the outcast cat, wasn't free from the Sohma – their sick hierarchy controlled his life just as much as the rest of them. Why would someone be stupid enough to get themselves entangled with such a family?

A knock sounded on the compartment door, interrupting everyone's various trains of thought. "Come in!" Hermione called. The door opened to reveal three figures – a slight, pretty redhead, a rather chubby boy and a girl with long, pale hair and pale eyes. "Ginny! Neville!" Ron greeted them. "And who's this?" Hermione's expression, welcoming at first, turned rather pained as she regarded the newcomer.

"Luna Lovegood," introduced Ginny. "She's a Ravenclaw in my year."

Noticing Ginny and Neville's curious expressions, Harry quickly introduced the other members of the compartment. "Ginny and Neville, this is Tohru, Kyo and Yuki. Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, this is Ginny and Neville. And Luna," he added hastily. "They're new students this year from Japan."

"Japan," said Luna dreamily. Her eyes protruded slightly, making her look surprised. She was wearing a necklace made of corks. "Why, do you see a great many Kori Kappa Sakana around there?"

"What in heaven's name is a Kappa Sakana?" Hermione demanded impatiently.

"I read about them in _The Quibbler_ last month," Luna replied, unruffled, still in that dreamy tone. Harry noticed she seemed to be wearing radishes as earrings. "They're very common in Japan."

"Ah, no, I'm afraid I've never seen such a thing," said Yuki, a confused but polite expression on his face.

"What the hell?" Kyo snapped. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

The other people in the compartment all turned their heads to look at him, startled to hear him speak for the first time. He scowled into his lap.

"Kori Kappa Sakana is just bad Japanese for 'Ice cucumber fish,'" Kyo muttered. "There's no such thing."

"Ah, but Kyo-kun," Tohru stammered, attempting to smooth things over, "Kappa is also a water demon, not just 'cucumber.'"

"Yes, yes, we learned about Kappa in third year," Hermione cut in, her brows knitted together. "I'm afraid that, like Kyo said, there's no such thing. Anyone knows that _The Quibbler_ is complete nonsense."

Luna's absentminded face suddenly arranged itself into a haughty, disapproving expression. "My father is the editor of _The Quibbler_."

Before Hermione could respond, Ron whispered to Harry (a little too loudly) "Oh, so that'd be Loony Luna Lovegood, then! I knew I'd heard of her!" Ginny elbowed Ron in the ribs and hissed at him as Harry awkwardly tried to cover by saying "Why doesn't everyone sit down?"

The tension seemed to ease slightly as Luna pulled out a copy of _The Quibbler_ and promptly began reading it upside-down. Her vague expression resumed and she seemed to forget about Hermione's slight. Hermione had presumably heard of "Loony Luna" as well, and seemed personally offended by Luna's rejection of all things logical. She crossed her arms and _harrumphed_ slightly.

"Ginny's my sister," Ron explained to Tohru and Yuki. Kyo had retreated back into his silent state, brows furrowed as he glared at his feet. "And Neville's a friend of ours since first year."

Tohru smiled warmly at the newcomers and stood up to bow politely. "It is wonderful to meet you all." As she sat down, she started to blush. "Ah, Miss Ginny-san – Oh no, that's –"

"Just Ginny is fine," the younger Weasley sister said firmly, but with a kind smile. "What is it?"

"I am sorry to be so terribly rude, but is red hair –here, in England, is it…" Tohru ducked her head, embarrassed.

"Oh, yes, there's loads of redheads here," Ginny said with a grin. "Well, not _so_ common, but more than in Japan, I'd think." She eyed Kyo, but some hidden instinct told her not to strike up a conversation with him about his hair. It seemed like something of a touchy subject.

* * *

Ginny and Neville's arrival helped the conversation flow much more smoothly, and the train ride finished quickly. Soon it was time to change into school uniform and robes. The Sohmas and Tohru had arrived on the platform wearing their uniforms; being Japanese, they didn't think much of wearing their school uniforms around. Harry noticed that Kyo's tie and upper buttons were loosened. Somehow, it made him feel uncomfortable, like Kyo was already rebelling before his first day of school had started.

The train pulled into the platform. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry, we've got to—" Hermione rushed. Harry waved her off. "S'okay," he mumbled. "You and Ron go do your prefect duties."

Ron shot him a pained look. "Really, mate, it's not so great." Harry forced a grin and waved him off.

"What is a _prefect_?" Yuki asked, pronouncing it _pa-ree-fect_. Neville tried to explain it to him as they wandered towards the horseless carriages.

Suddenly, Kyo and Harry both stopped dead. There, harnessed to each of the carriages, were a group of rather frightening black horses. Their skin was leathery and clung to their bones, exposing a skeletal frame. Two gigantic, black, folded wings rested against the demon horses' sides. The beasts watched them with eyes glowing from deep within dark sockets.

"Those horses weren't there last year," Harry commented casually to Neville and Ginny. "Wonder whose idea they were?"

"Erm…what horses, mate?" Neville asked warily. He peered at the carriages, as if trying to improve his sight.

"They're right there! Those ugly skeletal things!" Harry was immediately annoyed with Neville. If this was a joke, it was extremely stupid. One of the horses tossed its matted mane, as if it resented the insult.

"I don't see them, Harry," said Ginny quietly. Tohru was gamely trying to squint along with Neville.

"I do," said Luna absently out of nowhere. "Don't worry, Harry, I can see them too. I've been able to see them since my first year," she said, climbing into the carriage. "You're not mad or anything. Kyo can see them too."

Kyo was too flustered to even speak. His face turned red and a vein twitched at his temple. His eyes were the dead giveaway, trained on the horses.

"See, Harry, you're just as sane as I am," said Luna, with what was obviously meant to be a reassuring smile.

Somehow, this was not comforting to Harry, nor did it make him feel any less insane. Trying his best to ignore Ginny, Neville and Yuki's wary glances, and Tohru's concern, he climbed into the carriage.

* * *

"Didn't you see those horses? Hermione, you'd have read about them…" Harry trailed off to the worried looks of his two best friends. "Never mind, then," he grumbled. Having ushered the students successfully into the castle, Ron and Hermione had rejoined Harry. Tohru, Yuki and Kyo were looking around in absolute wonder and fascination, taking in the sight of the old castle for the first time.

"First years over here!" called a brisk voice. It was Professor Grubbly-Plank. Harry started in surprise – he was used to the booming call of "Firs' years o'er here! Firs' years o'er here!"

"Where do you reckon Hagrid is?" Ron asked, looking around for the huge man.

"Miss Honda, Misters Sohma," came a stern voice. Professor McGonagall emerged from the crowd of awe-struck first years to beckon to the Japanese newcomers. "This way, please. Follow Professor Flitwick."

The tiny professor bustled through the crowd, not even surpassing the first-years in height. "This way, you three! Come this way!" he cried, smiling kindly.

Overwhelmed, Tohru shot a panicked glance towards Harry, Ron and Hermione. She didn't want to leave her new friends. Were they in trouble? Did they have to perform some kind of test to get into the school? Hermione smiled reassuringly at her. Tohru took a deep breath, collected herself, and followed Kyo and Yuki after the tiny old man.

"Do we have to do a test?" Kyo worried out loud. Yuki chuckled, which made Kyo's hair stand on end. He clamped his mouth shut.

"What was that, young man?" Professor Flitwick asked, as he pulled them into a small and cosy room. (Ron and Harry would have recognized it as the room they were taken into after illegally flying Ron's dad's car into the Whomping Willow.)

"Do we have to do a test or something?" Kyo asked again grumpily, in English. Professor Flitwick laughed.

"Oh, no, you're just being Sorted. We have to hurry, though, because the first-years will be needing this soon!" The tiny Professor indicated an old, raggedy hat sitting on a stool.

"Oh!" gasped Tohru. Hermione had explained this on the train ride over – the Sorting, the four Houses, and which kind of person belonged to each. Tohru was happy to be accepted into any of the honourable Houses – she suspected Hufflepuff – but she was terrified of being separated from Kyo and Yuki.

Little did she know, Yuki also suspected that he would be placed in Hufflepuff. He felt that he was a very unremarkable person, with only a good work ethic to his name. It was something Akito's verbal torture had ingrained in him. _You're so _boring_, Yuki! All you can do is study. It's a shame that you're not interesting at all_. Yuki sighed quietly to himself. He could live with Hufflepuff, it didn't sound so bad. He hoped and prayed that he wouldn't be separated from Tohru and even Kyo. He had a feeling that the three of them really needed to stick together, regardless of his and Kyo's own personal animosity.

Kyo's thoughts, on the other hand, were tormented. He could think of only one House – Slytherin. From the way Hermione, Harry and Ron had referred with disgust to its members, Kyo was sick with worry that he could only belong in that cunning and mean House. He knew himself, the coward he was, and the things he'd done. The outcast. The Cat. The angry, rude, cowardly boy who could only project his feelings on to others and protect himself. Kyo supposed he deserved it, although his stomach dropped at the prospect of not being in the same house as Tohru. _It's better for her_, he thought. _It's better if that Hat puts me where I belong and not where I can hurt her_. His brows knit together and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Hurry, now, dear!" Professor Flitwick cried, seating Tohru on the stool. The too-big hat slid over her eyes and she was in complete darkness.

_Well, well, well_, a voice said in her head. She fought the urge to jump. _What have we here? A girl who looks sweet and innocent on the outside, hmmm?_

Tohru's stomach dropped. The Hat knew things about her. It knew all the selfish thoughts she tried to hide. It knew that she wasn't a good person at all. It knew –

_Ha ha ha,_ the Hat laughed. _Yes, I know your every thought, but that's not what I was talking about. Hmmm, where to place such a girl? Tohru – sweet but with a hidden flavour._ Her heart stopped for a long second as the Hat quoted her father's words back to her. _Strange, isn't it? Strange that such a delicate looking girl could actually possess quite a bit of mettle. Well, better be –_

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat shouted out loud. Tohru took a sharp breath. _Gryffindor_? The house for the courageous, bold and loyal? Was the hat insane?

"Oh, wonderful! A new Gryffindor!" Flitwick cheered. "Now, now, let's hurry, please!"

Yuki was next.

_Yuki Sohma, eh?_ the Hat said into his mind. Yuki's fingers twitched on his lap. _What an interesting young man. No, no, don't deny it – you really are quite interesting. Is this calm façade common back where you come from? _

Yuki's heart skipped a bit. It could see right through him.

_Why yes, I most certainly can_, chortled the Hat. _Now, where to put you? You've got brains, you'd do well in Ravenclaw – hmm, but you're also quite loyal, aren't you? Maybe Hufflepuff? You're a tricky one, Yuki Sohma. _Yuki had the irrational worry that he'd be too hard to sort and they would send him home. The Hat ignored this thought, chuckling to itself a little._ However, I do see – some steel in you, resilience and bravery. You would have been good in Ravenclaw, but we'll put you in –_

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the Hat again. Flitwick shook his hand with an excited squeak. "My, my!"

Kyo marched to the stool and jammed the Hat on his head. _Get it over with,_ he told the Hat mentally, not even knowing what he was talking to.

_Oh, I will,_ said the Hat, sounding amused at his tone. Kyo jumped at the sudden voice in his mind. _I know exactly where to put you, boy._

_Slytherin,_ Kyo thought miserably. So Yuki and Tohru would be together after all, while he resigned himself to what was (in his mind) the least desirable House.

_Slytherin? _ replied the Hat. It sounded surprised. _No, no, my boy. You're not nearly cunning enough. You are, however, a number of other things – brave, fiercely determined, protective, loyal to the death. Those qualities can only belong –_

_Wait,_ Kyo interrupted it. _You know everything, don't you? What I've done?_

_Yes, _replied the Hat, not unkindly. _Don't you see, Kyo? Your mistakes don't matter as much as the things you do to redeem yourself. _Before Kyo could respond, the Hat continued with: _As I was saying, those qualities can only belong in _

"GRYFFINDOR!" it yelled a third time. Flitwick's expression was very surprised – evidently, the Hat usually didn't sort so many into the same House in a row.

"Well, come into the Great Hall, then," squeaked the Professor. They followed him quickly through the stone corridors, and were just in time to enter the Great Hall along with a sea of first-years. The tall, imposing woman from before was trying to sort them into a line.

"Three new Gryffindors, Minerva," he said to the woman. "I'll take this into the Hall."

She raised her eyebrow at them, examining them with sharp eyes. "Three Gryffindors all at once? Unusual. Good evening, Miss Honda and Misters Sohma. I am Professor McGonagall, and I am your Head of House. You will find the Gryffindor table under the red and gold banners."

Reflexively, all three bowed politely to her and then turned to enter the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall's thin mouth twitched into a bemused half-smile as she watched their backs retreating.

* * *

"Didn't you hear that Umbridge character?" Hermione said under her breath to Harry and Ron, once they were all seated in the common room. The first-years were all safely in bed, but some of the older students were lingering on the comfortable chairs and couches, catching up and chatting.

Harry and Ron gave her blank looks.

"I stopped listening to her speech after a few minutes," Ron admitted. "Long-winded sort of lady…"

"To put it short, the Ministry of Magic is infiltrating Hogwarts."

"What?" gasped Harry and Ron, sitting bolt upright.

"I know it sounded like a load of waffle, but there was important stuff hidden in there. For example, 'Progress for progress' sake must be discouraged' and 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited. And thanks to Harry, we know she works for the Ministry. It's obvious that they're interfering!" Hermione shook her head in disgust. "No wonder the Sorting Hat sang us a warning this year. We're all going to have to be very careful."

Suddenly the three caught wind of a low, but heated-sounding conversation. Harry cast a furtive glance to the other side of the common room.

Yuki and Kyo Sohma were standing near the window, having what looked like an intense conversation. Harry couldn't understand what they were saying and assumed it was Japanese. They looked like they were arguing. Kyo reached forward and grabbed Yuki by the front of his robes, his eyes dangerously narrow, looking like he was about to yell. Yuki said something in a calm, low voice – although it didn't seem to have a calming effect, as Kyo promptly let go of him and stormed up to the boy's dormitories. Yuki waited a moment and then followed him up.

"I get the feeling those two aren't overly fond of each other," Ron commented, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't they cousins or something?"

"Yes, Tohru mentioned it on the train ride over," Hermione said in a distracted tone, obviously still mulling over Umbridge in her mind.

"Maybe they both fancy Tohru?" Harry suggested.

"No, mate," replied Ron seriously. "They both fancy her, but they hate each other too much for that to be the only case."

"What would you know about that sort of thing, Ronald?" Hermione said, mildly reproving, although she also looked rather impressed with his unusual perceptiveness.

"I don't know." Ron seemed slightly offended by her comment, but continued with "It's just a feeling."

* * *

Okaaayyy! This chapter didn't take as long as the last! So, finally, we're at Hogwarts and the story is starting to roll. Hooray, a long chapter!

Thanks so much to reviewers, especially Rena the pirate jedi wizard – you came back after a whole year to review again! You're fabulous!

I'd also like to apologize. I left FF dot net before they'd implemented the review response system, and now I'm back, so I don't really know how it works – and thus, I haven't been responding to reviews. I still don't know exactly how to use it. I thought it was something you'd use sort of occasionally, but now, reading other authors' works, it seems like I haven't been responding as much as I ought. Please let me know if I've offended anyone by not responding to your reviews. Also it would be much appreciated if someone would explain it to me. Haha.

With that out of the way, I really hope to get some reviews on this chapter (and previous chapters if you're a new reader!) and the next one shouldn't take too long.

My humble thanks and gratitude to everyone reading this!


	6. The First Day

Disclaimer: The respective characters from Fruits Basket and Harry Potter belong to Natsuki Takaya and J.K. Rowling, as well as settings and some plot devices. However, this chapter does make a direct quotation from _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_, which I will cite at the bottom of the chapter so as not to give away the chapter in advance for the readers.

Another long chapter! Finally, we get to see some classes and (dun dun duuuunnn!) some conflict! And last but not least, two very villainous (albeit absurdly popular) characters make their appearance. Now that I've got you all gripping the edges of your seats (ha ha) go ahead, read and enjoy.

* * *

The next morning, Tohru rose before the sun. It was afternoon in Japanese time, but she still felt somewhat groggy.

She hadn't made much progress with her dorm-mates, Lavender and Parvati. She couldn't speak English very well yet, and they were more interested in talking to each other and Hermione, who had come up later. Somehow the discussion between the three girls had become heated, although Tohru didn't understand. They used words like "You-Know-Who" and "Daily Prophet." Tohru did catch mention of Harry Potter's name, although she was so tired and her mind was so garbled that she couldn't even process it and fell asleep soon afterwards.

Tohru usually woke up early, then immediately got out of bed and began her homework and chores. For some reason, today, she stayed piled under her warm covers – maybe it was the damp, chilly air that seeped through the tower windows, or the lack of chores, or the fact that she really needed to think.

So many things bounced around in her mind that it almost gave her a headache. First and foremost was a huge question looming in her mind. _Why am I here? _If she'd heard Dumbledore-sensei correctly, there were indeed magical schools in Japan. This tiny fact alone had been enough to make her question her world as she knew it. But why were they here, in England? Why wouldn't Dumbledore-sensei or Shigure-san explain it? On top of it all, she was ridiculously nervous for her first day of classes.

Something else was bothering her. That thing was Harry Potter. There was something about him, the way students craned their necks to see him, the whispers that followed behind him. Yuki-kun had read about it; she would have to ask him.

After a while she got up, put on her uniform and robes, and went to sit in the common room in front of the merrily crackling fire. She wondered idly who tended it throughout the night as she gazed into the dancing flames.

"Tohru?"

The voice behind her startled her. Kyo-kun had padded up behind her, not making so much as a sound. Evidently he couldn't sleep either. She wasn't surprised – he tended to be an early riser. Yuki-kun would probably sleep as late as he could.

"Kyo-kun," she replied with a smile, as he settled himself into an armchair next to her. His presence made her feel calm and reassured, despite her worried thoughts.

Kyo sighed and stared moodily into the fire. Tohru had the feeling he wanted to talk about something, and she was right.

"I'm surprised that I'm here," Kyo said, not looking at her, but still at the flames. Tohru nodded her head silently in agreement.

"No, not _here_, at Hogwarts." Kyo's eyebrows knitted into a worried line. "When you think about it, sending three of us off to England with three days notice to study… 'Magic'… is pretty characteristic of the Sohma family. I'm surprised that I'm in Gryffindor."

Tohru turned to look at Kyo, tilting her head in confusion. "I was also surprised to be put in Gryffindor," she admitted, "but I thought it would be the perfect fit for Kyo-kun. As soon as Hermione-san explained what Gryffindor was, I thought of Kyo-kun…" her sentence trailed off and her cheeks became tinged with pink, although she didn't look away from Kyo.

Kyo's stomach did a flip. Her words filled him with an unreasonable happiness. He couldn't even reply – what would he say back to something like that?

Luckily, he was saved by Gryffindors beginning to file downstairs. Hermione called to them brightly. "Tohru! Kyo!"

Now that the excitement of their arrival had worn off (except in the case of the first-years), the older students were starting to cast furtive glances at Tohru and Kyo, and Yuki (who had just sleepily wandered downstairs.) This continued as Hermione helpfully lead them down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Yuki noted with wonder that the ceiling had changed from the stars of last night to reflect today's somewhat grey and cloudy weather. When they were seated at the table, Tohru was painfully aware of necks craning to see them and poorly-hidden gossip following them. Kyo felt a surge of annoyance. _What, do they think we won't understand their stupid chatter because we're Japanese?_

Harry seemed to read his mind. "Sorry about this," he said lowly to Kyo.

"It'd be less of a bother if they actually tried not to be heard," said Hermione sharply. "Don't they have anything better to do than gossip?"

"No," replied Ron. "Blimey, imagine how they'd amuse themselves if Hogwarts had one completely normal semester."

The gossip, however, wasn't malevolent for the most part – just fascination, and in a few cases, some minor crushing. Yuki and Kyo's good looks were already earning them a few dreamy sighs.

Abruptly, Tohru let out a little cry and pointed upwards. Hundreds of owls were pouring through the windows of the Great Hall.

"Oh," said Harry with a grin. "I suppose you wouldn't have known this, but owls carry wizards' mail."

"Really?" Yuki loved hearing information about the wizarding world, although this particular tidbit wasn't a huge surprise, seeing as how an owl in the kitchen had started this whole adventure. Nonetheless, Yuki eagerly accumulated any knowledge he could; and it was all so surreal and fascinating.

A small, grey owl with amber eyes and what looked to be a wise little face landed on the table right in front of Kyo. It began to nibble at his breakfast. "Hey, shoo," Kyo said grumpily. "Go do your job and deliver your mail."

"It is delivering mail," Hermione said with a smile, eyeing the parcel it carried. "I can't read that, seeing as it's in Japanese, but I'd assume it's for you and Tohru and Yuki."

Some of the girls were staring at the owl. "Ohhhh!" said Lavender. "It's so cute! I've never seen an owl like that before!"

"Is that a Japanese owl?" Parvati asked.

Yuki nodded. "It's a Japanese Scops Owl." He smiled at them, which set both of them into a fit of giggles. Rather bemused, Yuki turned back to the parcel, which Tohru was opening carefully. Kyo had a bit of paper in his hand.

"It's a letter from Shigure," he muttered in Japanese with a scoff. Yuki and Tohru leaned over to read it.

_Hello, hello, my lovely children! It's Daddy!_

Kyo slammed his fist on the table, startling Ron, who was enjoying toast and marmalade beside him. "That's disgusting! Who the hell says things like that?"

"Speak in English, Kyo," Yuki reminded him. "We should get used to it." Kyo hissed at him, but continued to read the letter.

_As you can see, I've sent you a _lovely_ present! _(The word 'lovely' was written in especially nice calligraphy, with a couple of hearts surrounding it.) _The present is, yes, you guessed it – money! I won't tell you how I got it. It's a tale full of suspense, adventure, and outlaw behaviour on the part of yours truly._

_Actually, no, I kid. I got it mailed to me by the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Did you know there are Japanese wizarding shops? They're in a hidden little alley in Kyoto. How wonderful!_

"Idiot," muttered Yuki.

_Anyways, I hope you are enjoying school! Please remember not to shame the Sohma family with antics such as sneaking into girls' dormitories! I know Yuki and Kyo's hearts pine for the innocence of schoolgirls, but you are representing Japan at Hogwarts! Tohru-kun, my little flower, my adorable wife, take care of yourself and those big, nasty boys. If they ever come peeping into your bedroom, do by all means cast a nasty hex on their snooping faces!_

_I will come visit at Christmas. Don't cry, children, I miss you just as you miss me! I weep at night for the lonely, dark pit that my house has become – I am tiring out poor Aaya with my need for company. _

_Counting down the days till we meet again,_

_Shigure XOXOXOXO_

"He's coming _here?_" Kyo said with a groan. Tohru gave the pouch full of money to Yuki, to stow away in his schoolbag. They would figure out how to use the money later.

"Who's coming here?" Ron asked, leaning over the letter, but he couldn't read the Japanese characters.

"Our idiot cousin," Yuki replied, a steely glint in his eye, "although I'll do my best to make sure he stays in Japan where he belongs."

Before anyone could question Yuki on the "idiot cousin," a boy from the Slytherin table came up to stand near them. Two larger boys flanked him like goons.

"Ugh," Ron groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's too early to deal with you, Malfoy. Bugger off."

"My, my," the boy said in a mocking tone. He had very, very pale blond hair and a rather pointed chin. His expression was very haughty and cold. "Such language, Weasley…although I suppose it can't be helped, growing up the way you did." He ignored Ron's bristling. "I merely came to welcome the new students."

"Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, this is Draco Malfoy, resident slimy git," Harry told them, glaring at Malfoy. "What are you up to, anyways?"

"I see you've already met the _famous_ Harry Potter," Malfoy drawled. "Hopefully you won't be too quick to believe his tall tales."

At this, Harry started to rise from his seat in anger. Hermione restrained him, a pleading look on her face. "No, Harry – just let it go!"

"Anyways," Malfoy continued, "Hope you're finding Hogwarts to your satisfaction. Are all girls in Japan so…charming?" He leered down at Tohru. Crabbe and Goyle laughed their thuggish laughs. Yuki suddenly started to get out of his seat, a warning expression on his face, but this action was obscured by Kyo leaping up and grabbing Malfoy by the front of his robes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled.

"Calm down, Kyo," Yuki snapped, but turned to Malfoy. "Tohru is charming, isn't she? She's also quite intelligent, which means she wouldn't particularly enjoy your company. Now I suggest you head back to your own table – I'd like to finish my breakfast. Nice meeting you." With a gracious smile, Yuki seated himself.

"Wow," whispered Ron to Harry in awe as Malfoy slunk away, "He's quite cool, isn't he?"

Harry nodded with a grin. He _loved _seeing Malfoy get told off.

* * *

"I can't _believe_ our timetable today," moaned Ron. Harry nodded miserably, his victorious mood from breakfast fading rapidly.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins, Divination, and Defence against the Dark Arts with that Umbridge woman," continued Ron gloomily. "I wonder if I could get some of those Skiving Snackboxes off of Fred and –"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "You're a _prefect_! Anyways," she said, turning to Yuki and Kyo and Tohru, "We're headed to Potions right now. It's taught by Professor Snape."

"He's absolutely nasty," Harry said bitterly, while Ron muttered "Slimy old hook-nosed git."

"Harry is right," Hermione said. Yuki was surprised; he'd half-expected her to scold Harry and Ron for their comments. She didn't seem like the sort to slight a teacher.

"Now, I don't normally criticise teachers," she continued, affirming his thought, "but Snape is..."

"A piece of work," Ron supplied helpfully.

"Yes." She sighed heavily. "He's prejudiced against Gryffindors, Harry especially, so you've got to be careful of what you say. In fact, try not to say anything unless he asks you directly. If you have any questions, ask me instead."

"Or us," Ron cut in again. Hermione gave him an uncomfortable look, like she'd really not recommend them asking Ron anything about Potions, just as they entered the dungeons.

As they seated themselves, whispers flew around them again; it seemed that Yuki's trumping of Malfoy at the breakfast table was popular news, winning him admiring glances from the Gryffindors and furious glares from the Slytherins. All of the gossip was, however, put to an abrupt end as the dungeon doors creaked open. Professor Snape glided into the room quickly and silently, making his way to the front of the class, and stood in front of his desk. He regarded everyone with contempt over his hooked nose; greasy curtains of jet-black hair fell on either side of his face. His eyes glittered black and his thin mouth was pursed unpleasantly, like he'd smelled something sour.

"Settle down," he said coldly, although the students had (presumably due to his intimidating presence) sat down quickly and ceased their chatter.

Professor Snape sneered at them. "Before we begin today's lesson," he said, looking around at all of them, "I think it is appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic thought some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an "Acceptable" in your OWL, or suffer my...displeasure." (1)

He continued, in the same steady, disdainful tone, to lecture the students about something called NEWTs. However, he'd lost Tohru after the first paragraph. She went as rigid as a board and her face paled significantly. Kyo and Yuki were exhibiting similar reactions; Kyo's jaw had dropped and Yuki's face went totally blank.

"I don't think anyone told them about the OWLs," Hermione whispered to Harry and Ron, casting a worried glance at Tohru's chalk-white face.

Snape turned, as if he'd heard them whispering. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on the three new students. His lip curled unpleasantly.

"Well, well, well," he said softly. His eyes raked over them, taking in their shocked faces. "It looks like our new students seem to think themselves above learning what is expected of them at a new school." His tone was faintly mocking. "I have no idea, nor do I care, how low the standards are at any Japanese wizarding school. However, do not by any means get the impression that your status as new students puts you above coming to class prepared."

Even Kyo was too obviously intimidated to make any sort of reply. Tohru looked like she was going to cry. Harry, on the other hand, was furious.

"They only had a week's notice before coming to Hogwarts," Harry said loudly. "There wasn't any time to prepare anything!"

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Another one who believes he is above the rest of us," Snape said maliciously. The Slytherins sniggered. "Hopefully your unfortunate attitude will not be emulated by our new students, despite their rather poor start. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Hermione's jaw was clenched, and many of the Gryffindors looked like they had something to say to Snape, as well. However, Snape's warning glance about the classroom told them that the next person to speak up would face a much worse penalty than losing ten points. Harry sat down and gripped the edges of his seat ferociously to prevent himself punching Snape right in his over-large nose. It wasn't fair – just because they were Gryffindors, Tohru, Kyo and Yuki had to face the same disgusting treatment Harry himself had faced on his very first Potions class.

"Today we will be preparing the Draught of Peace." Snape continued as if there had been no interruption. He lectured them about the potion's effects and then, with a wave of his wand, put the ingredients and instructions on the board. "You may begin."

"Look," said Harry lowly to Kyo beside him, "It'll be OK, we'll explain it all later."

"Don't be too nervous," Hermione said soothingly. "I'll help you all study, if you'd like. It won't be so bad at all." Yuki took a deep breath and seemed to compose himself, and Kyo nodded his thanks. Tohru, however, still looked like she was on the brink of tears.

Of course, for their first day back, Snape had assigned them a finicky and fiddly potion that required huge degrees of concentration. Hermione discreetly helped the three Japanese teenagers by showing them the right ingredients, but there wasn't much more she could do.

"By now your potions should be emitting a light silver vapour," Snape called. "Ten minutes left."

Tohru's potion certainly fit the description, as did Hermione's. Kyo's potion emitted a mist that was more grey than silver, but still passable. Yuki's was a complete and utter disaster. It was belching smoke and had the consistency of melting rubber. He tapped it futilely with his wand and stared, bewildered, as it began to spit blobs of goo.

"Bottle up your potions," said Snape, three minutes early, eyeing Yuki's potion with a rather nasty hint of a smile. "_Now_, Sohma."

He assigned them a foot and a half long essay on the uses and properties of moonstone, and let them go.

Yuki was sweating profusely as the students poured out of the dungeon. Malfoy swept past him with a jeering smile. "Not so silver-tongued now, are we, Sohma?" Pansy Parkinson let out a shriek of laughter as they departed down the hall.

"Old git," said Dean Thomas angrily. "I can't believe him, picking on you three like that."

"You have to admit, it's certainly not out of character," Hermione said irritably.

"Fantastic job on your potion, though!" Ron's glance at Tohru was downright admiring. "Your first day and you've managed better than I have in Snape's class all these five years!"

"Yes, how did you do that?" Dean asked.

"Ah..." Tohru was at a loss for words. "Thank you, Thomas-san and Weasley-san are very kind, but it was only luck." She reddened and hung her head.

"Doubt it," Dean said affably. "You don't get lucky in Snape's class. It's the law. You did pretty well too, Sohma." It was obvious which Sohma he was talking to, seeing as Yuki was still utterly bewildered by the total wreck his potion had ended up as. Kyo nodded gruffly.

Divination went better for all of them, after Harry explained that Trelawney's prediction of misfortune in Kyo's future was just her usual battiness. Harry and Ron schooled Tohru, Yuki and Kyo in the fine art of making up dreams to analyze while Hermione was in arithmancy.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a whole different matter entirely.

* * *

"First day, and you've already got detention," said Hermione with a long sigh. Harry glared at the ground as they walked to the common room. Tohru had gone immediately to the library, frantic to look up many of the things she hadn't understood from the day's classes. Yuki followed her, and Kyo had set off somewhere on his own.

"Angelina's going to kill you if you miss Friday's Quidditch tryouts," Ron added glumly.

"I suppose you think I should've just shut up and let Umbridge carry on with that tripe about Cedric dying by accident?" he snapped.

"Would you _please_ stop jumping down our throats, Harry!" Hermione said reprovingly. "We all know that she's spewing Ministry tripe, but landing yourself in detention isn't going to help. It's only going to carry on the Daily Prophet's rubbish about you being unstable."

"I don't care," Harry said fiercely.

Ron's face became very serious. "Look, mate, we're on your side, but you need to stop thinking we're not. We're just looking out for you."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Well, anyways, we'd better get started on our homework," said Hermione. "Harry, you've got a half-hour before detention starts, you might as well start on Snape's essay."

"Er, yeah."

In fact, Harry and Ron ended up procrastinating, sitting and staring into the fire as Hermione worked diligently, pausing often to berate them. Ten to five rolled around and Harry got up reluctantly to go and start serving his detention.

* * *

Harry awoke very early the next morning to his scar burning and his hand stinging. It was still dark outside. He lay in bed, gasping, covered in a sheen of sweat. He stared at his hand; there were still faint pink marks of _I must not tell lies_ scrawled across his hand in his own handwriting. They were, however, much better than the day before. He determined that sleep was impossible and rolled reluctantly out of bed, shrugging on a housecoat over his pajamas.

When he made his way through the common room to sit in his favourite chair next to the fire, he was met with a strange sight. A small form, still in her uniform from the day before, was slumped over the table; which was covered in paper and books on all manner of subjects. _Hogwarts: A History_ was there, as well as a few books on wizarding history, and the fifth-year textbooks on Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Divination. Harry wondered if the person was ill and approached her. He then noticed that her shoulders were shuddering with small sobs. He suddenly realised who it was.

"Tohru?"

Tohru snapped into an upright position as if she'd been given a military order. She took a deep, gasping breath and put a horrible approximation of a smile on her face.

"Oh, I hope I d-didn't wake you, H-Harry-san...I was...I was...I c-couldn't sleep..." Her face made it painfully obvious that she in fact had not slept at all; her eyes were shadowed with dark circles and tearstains were still very evident on her cheeks.

"Er...are you all right?" Harry asked awkwardly, sitting down in the chair next to her.

"Wonderful!" she gasped, a little too loudly. "Just f-fine!"

Harry was at a total loss for words. He wished Hermione were here; she would know what to do.

"I..." Tohru took one look at the massive pile of paper on the table, and started to cry again. She unsuccessfully took a few gulping breaths to try and stabilise herself.

"D'you...d'you want to tell me what's up, or anything?" Harry felt his cheeks tinge with red. He was terrible at this sort of thing.

"Please don't worry, Harry-san," Tohru said, her voice a little steadier. "I just...ah, I just lost track of the time..."

Harry patted her shoulder uncomfortably. "Look," he said nervously, "I didn't know anything about magic before I came here, and I didn't do any reading or anything. I was scared my first day and I thought I'd never figure it all out. And, well...I know loads now," he finished lamely.

Tohru seemed heartened by his lame speech. "Yes, that's right. I just have to do my best!"

"Sleeping helps," Harry advised, internally smacking himself for his clumsy words.

"Yes, or else you could catch cold," Tohru agreed seriously. Harry didn't really understand what colds had to do with anything, but he nodded.

"Thank you, Harry-san. Your kindness is wonderful," she said sincerely. Harry felt a little taken aback by her earnestness; he felt he hadn't really said anything helpful. He smiled back, though, before Tohru returned to the girls' dorm.

* * *

(1)Snape's speech to his Potions class about the OWL exams has been directly quoted from _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_. Tohru, Yuki and Kyo needed to find out about the OWLs somehow, and I just felt that our dear Professor Snape explained it more perfectly than I ever could.

About the direct quotation, this likely won't happen again – especially since after this chapter, the plot of _Nox Noctis_ will start to diverge from the plot of _Order of the Phoenix_. I just felt like anything I did would be paraphrasing Snape, and so I let him say it himself.

Poor Tohru, already overwhelmed with schoolwork. I think we've all been there at one point or another.

Next chapter we'll start to dig a little deeper into some important plot details. Yay! Thanks so much for all the reviews, and hopefully I did a better job of responding this time. Any reviews are welcome – constructive criticism, questions, comments, even just one-sentence reviews telling me your overall impressions are welcome. I'm just happy that people are reading this!

Humbly yours till next time,

Lysi


	7. Nightmares and Strange Visitors

Next chapter up, within a week! I'm on a roll!

Wow, guys, thank you so much. I woke up one morning with 12 (!) review alerts in my inbox, which just made my day! I can't thank everyone enough – everyone who's reviewed, added to favourites and author alerts, and even everyone who's reading this.

I responded to most of you with the review response thing, but I'd also like to thank my unsigned reviewers, whom I couldn't contact due to lack of an account. Especially hw the blue dog, who has reviewed every chapter thus far. To answer your question, hw: 'gomen nasai' is "I'm sorry!" or "Excuse me!" in Japanese. Thanks for bringing it up, though – from now on, if I use any Japanese, I'll include definitions at the bottom.

On to the chapter!

* * *

The next day turned out to be just as difficult as the first. After breakfast, the Gryffindors all headed to Charms. Tohru was excited but also nervous to be using her wand for the first time.

Professor Flitwick cheerily greeted them all, and gave them the standard lecture about OWLs. Then he explained that today, they would be doing silencing charms.

"Each of you, come get a bullfrog!" he cried over the students' chatter. Soon the room was filled with a near-deafening croaking.

"Silencio," Tohru said timidly and waved her wand at her bullfrog. It stared back at her, and then let out one long, defiant croak.

Soon, Hermione's frog was opening its mouth and, much to its chagrin, producing no sound at all. She was busily helping Ron, whose frog only seemed to be getting louder. Harry sighed and gloomily prodded his frog with his wand. It croaked irritably and hopped away from the prodding.

"No, Ron, don't _poke_ it – Tohru, it's all right, you can speak a little louder. Try to _jab_ your wand, a really definitive gesture, don't just wave it..." Hermione was giving instructions left and right.

"Be quiet, you damned toad!" Kyo growled, finally losing his temper. "Or I'm going to make you into toad stew," he added in Japanese. Tohru shot him a worried look.

"It's a frog, stupid cat," Yuki said absently, not really paying attention. His toad was industriously making every effort to escape; however, its croaks did seem to be quieting a bit.

"Cat? Why'd you call Kyo that?" Ron asked, finally giving up on his frog, which at this point was making quite a racket.

Kyo and Yuki both blanched and jumped back in their seats. Tohru hadn't heard Ron's comment, but she looked at her two companions with surprise. "No reason," Yuki muttered, at the same time as Kyo said "Stupid nickname from when we were kids."

Yuki's toad let out another noise, breaking the (relative) silence that ensued. "Oh, be quiet," Yuki snapped. "Silencio!" The frog stopped mid-croak, its mouth still open wide.

"Well done, Mr. Sohma!" Flitwick cried. "This is very difficult magic, and to think that you'd master such a charm on your second day of school! Ten points for Gryffindor!"

"Fantastic," Harry congratulated him sincerely. Yuki grinned at him in thanks.

Of course, Kyo was fiercely competitive, and threw himself into his work with double the effort he'd been putting in before. Eventually, he silenced his frog with a victorious grin.  
Ron stared glumly at his frog. Flitwick had come over and silenced it himself, as its croaking was increasing in volume until nearby students began to cover their ears and edge their desks away. Harry's seemed content to just sit there croaking happily, as was Tohru's. They exchanged helpless glances.

"Ten minutes!" Flitwick called. "Don't give up, Mr. Finnigan! There's still time, Mr. Potter!"

"Let's try again, Tohru," Hermione encouraged. "Here, try and jab your wand, like this."

Tohru jabbed her wand enthusiastically. "Silencio!" she commanded, with more force than she'd put in all day. Her frog stared up at her silently. Hermione was just about to open her mouth in praise.

"Croooaaaaak," it positively bellowed.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. Tohru felt like an invisible load was gradually pressing down on her chest, making her more and more worried. Each of her teachers gave a nearly identical lecture on OWLs, and every subject proved to be exceedingly difficult. The homework was also piling up; practicing Silencing Charms for Charms, Vanishing spells for Transfiguration and a drawing of a small, stick-like fairy called a Bowtruckle for Care of Magical Creatures. This in addition to the homework she hadn't finished the previous day; the moonstone essay for Potions, the dream diary for Divination and completing the worksheet on Chapter One for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Unknown to Tohru, Harry was feeling a similar weight on his shoulders. He would never admit it out loud, but he was slightly envious of Yuki's relatively easy mastery of difficult spells. He'd gotten used to Hermione's achievements, though somehow, he couldn't quite get over being completely and totally bested by a student who'd only learned he was a wizard a week ago.

"What d'you reckon's with that Sohma bloke?" Ron muttered lowly to Harry at lunchtime.

"Dunno," Harry said, swallowing his bite of cold steak and kidney pie. "Maybe he's a genius of some sort."

"Unfair," Ron sighed. Harry nodded in fervent agreement, glad to know that his best friend felt the same way.

That evening, Harry set off for his detention with Umbridge again, feeling a growing panic. Partly because he knew that there was a huge pile of homework laying in his bookbag that this detention gave him no chance of finishing on time, and partly because he knew that he would have to spend the evening carving lines into the back of his own hand.

"Twisted old cow," he said to himself, then took a deep breath and grimly knocked on her door.

After what seemed like six hours, Umbridge called him up to her desk in her breathy, little-girl voice. She grabbed his hand, and Harry resisted the urge to yank it back.

"Seems we haven't quite made an impression yet, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said sweetly, a saccharine grin spreading across her flabby toad's face. "I'll see you again tomorrow."

Harry felt a strange determination as he left her shockingly pink and frilly office. He had no idea why he hadn't told Ron and Hermione yet, but he knew that he wouldn't tell them. He would keep coming every day, be polite to Umbridge, and do his detentions. He trudged back to the Gryffindor tower, his hand stinging sharply.

* * *

"_Master..." Pettigrew sobbed, throwing himself onto the floor._

"_You irritate me," Harry said in a high, cold voice. "Remove yourself from my sight, or tell me what you have discovered, or you will receive another taste of pain."_

"_F-forgive me, Master," the small, ratlike man moaned pitifully. "I c-couldn't find anything about the c-c-curse..."_

"_Fool. Sometimes I wonder why I keep you with me."_

"_Please, Master!" Pettigrew's voice became shrill in its desperation. "I live only to serve you!"_

_Harry laughed in the same terrible, cold voice; it was a chilling, entirely humourless sound. "You live only _because_ you serve me, as we both know."_

_Pettigrew was crying in earnest now, grovelling at Harry's feet and clutching at the hem of his robes. "No, Master! I am your most faithful servant, I p-promise..."_

"_Prove it, then, you worthless rodent," Harry said icily._

"_Anything!"_

"_Find them. You know where they are, as do I. Find them and extract information with any means necessary. Then, dispose of them."_

Harry never heard Pettigrew's reply, for he woke at that moment in a cold sweat. His heart was hammering against his ribcage and his mind raced. _What _was _that? _Harry thought, gasping for breath. He wondered for a moment what had woken him, and then he realised that some of the gasps permeating the still, midnight silence were not his own.

Kyo Sohma was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He seemed not to be entirely awake. His shoulders were heaving and his head was shaking rhythmically, as if he was denying something and shaking his head _no_ over and over. He got up from his bed, and though he appeared to be sleepwalking, he moved with an almost feline grace towards the window.

Harry was paralyzed for a moment, confused by his own exhaustion and the dream he'd just had. Before he could react, Ron had jumped out of his bed and crossed the room in two long strides, grabbing Kyo roughly by the arm. "OY!" he shouted. "Wake up, mate!"

Dean and Seamus both sat up in bed abruptly, groping for their wands. Neville snored on, apparently unaware of the commotion. _"Lumos_," whispered Harry, finding his wand first. The glowing light illuminated Kyo standing there, eyes wide, as Ron shook his shoulder. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" Seamus demanded.

"Looks like Sohma was sleepwalking," Dean observed. "Did you really have to bellow, Ron?"

"He was about to throw himself out the bloody window," Ron retorted. Yuki was just beginning to stir, rubbing his eyes groggily. Kyo was still just standing there, looking as if he was trying to make sense of the whole thing.

"Back to bed with you, then," Ron said gruffly. Kyo trudged over and literally fell facedown into his bed, his ears reddening slightly in embarrassment.

"Does he do that often, then?" Seamus asked Yuki, still slightly grumpy. Yuki blinked a couple times to clear the sleep from his eyes. "No," he responded blearily. "In our house- in Japan – there's a window in his room that leads out to the roof. Sometimes when he can't sleep he goes to sit on the roof. He must have gotten confused."

"What is he, a cat or something?"

At Dean's comment, Yuki twitched backwards. He pulled his bedcurtains abruptly.

"Didn't mean to offend him," Dean muttered. "How'd you wake up in time to stop Sleeping Beauty over there, Ron?"

"Harry woke me, tossing and turning in the upper bunk."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Shut up, the lot of you," Seamus' voice came from behind his bedcurtains. Not wanting to aggravate him further, the boys shut up promptly and drew their own curtains. Harry fell easily back to sleep, and dreamed no more.

* * *

Throughout the next week, the fifth-years all began to feel the stress. "How on earth do they expect us to do so much homework?" Lavender Brown moaned to Parvati Patil. "I'm going to be expelled if I miss turning in any more assignments," Neville lamented to anyone who would listen.

"That's ridiculous, Neville," Hermione snapped at him one day. "You haven't missed that many. As long as you really put your nose to the grindstone, you'll be fine." Her words were far from reassuring, judging from Neville's glum expression.

After dodging Ron's questions for the past few days, Harry finally had no choice but to tell his two best friends about the dream he'd had. Their reactions were exactly as expected; Ron's mouth dropped open in horror and Hermione's expression became tight and wary.

"Harry, this isn't good," she told him. "Go see –"

"_No_," said Harry, with a little more force than necessary. "I will not go and see Dumbledore."

"So you're...inside You-Know-Who's mind, then?" Ron asked, half curious, half horrified.

"It was just a dream," Harry muttered. Hermione gave him a suspicious look, but left the matter alone.

"I wonder what Sohma was all worked up about?" Ron asked, unsubtly changing the topic. "He looked awful this morning."

"What happened?"

Harry and Ron explained Kyo's sleepwalking to Hermione, whose expression was becoming thoughtful and calculating.

"There's something about Kyo that I can't quite put my finger on," she said, absently tugging on a lock of her hair.

Harry had the same sort of feeling. During the past week, Yuki and Tohru had grown quite comfortable with Harry, Ron and Hermione, sitting with them in classes and for meals, and chatting quite comfortably. Kyo was another matter entirely. He spoke only when addressed, and when Tohru or Yuki addressed him, he would respond in curt Japanese as if he didn't want anyone else to understand his replies. During free time he would often disappear for long periods, occasionally even skipping meals or leaving halfway through. This was the case right now; Tohru and Yuki had given up their lunch period to work in the library, whereas Kyo had just vanished. However, he always came to class on time, did his homework, and could answer most questions the teachers put to him. Harry had no idea what to make of him; but, in all fairness, he usually had so much on his mind that understanding Kyo was a bottom priority.

"Harry! Ron! _Look_!" cried Hermione suddenly.

A very large, very familiar figure was making its way to the staff table. Hagrid's bushy beard was easy to spot.

"It's Hagrid!" yelled Lee Jordan, jumping to his feet. He went to wring Hagrid's hand, with the twins in close pursuit.

"Hagrid! You're back!" Ron bellowed, an enormous grin on his face.

Hagrid beamed. "What've you three bin up to?" he said gruffly, though his expression gave him away.

"What have _you_ been up to?" Hermione countered, after they'd all shaken his hand.

"Er...nothin'," Hagrid said evasively. "Anyways, I'm on'y here ter tell Dumbledore I'm back...I've got some business ter attend to."

"We're coming to see you," Harry said, his voice low. "I have a detention at five o'clock, but we'll come before that."

"No," said Hagrid, his voice taking on a panicked edge. "You three stay away fer now, I'll see yeh in class t'morrow..."

"We'll see you at quarter past four," said Harry with a grin, and they went back to the Gryffindor table, leaving Hagrid looking rather frantic.

After that, the day went slowly. Immediately after their last class, they set off across the grounds.

Harry raised a hand and pounded on Hagrid's door. Inside, they heard Fang begin to bark wildly.

"No, Fang, be quiet," they heard Hagrid say. "I said be _quiet_, yeh dozy dog!" Hagrid's very large face appeared, peeking from behind the curtains.

"Don' come in!" Hagrid bellowed. "I'll be seein' you three t'morrow!"

"Let us in, Hagrid," Hermione called back.

"Oh, _do_ let them in!" they heard another voice say. "Let them come and partake in my marvellous company! It would be unfortunate indeed to send these three youngsters away, when they are clearly eager for my wisdom in the subject of romance and schoolboy's fantasies! Come! Come in, my three delightful disciples!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged wide-eyed glances at this.

"And _you_," growled Hagrid's voice. "Shut yer dirty great mouth, or I'll sic Fang on yeh!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed the voice with genuine glee. "But Hagrid, as you can see, the dear dog is as gentle as a lamb! Sadly, I shall not grace it with a pet from my delicate hand, for it might drool on my handmade attire!"

Fang let out a pronounced whimper. And, from behind them, someone let out a very loud curse word.

They whirled around to see, standing behind them, Yuki, Tohru and Kyo. Yuki swore again. His eyes were very, very wide, and his mouth was open in an expression of horror. Kyo looked like he was going to kill the nearest person.

"Oh _my_!" gasped the voice. "Hark! I have heard a familiar voice which fills the caverns of my heart with warmth and joy! Step aside, my dear, gigantic man, for I _must _speak to Yuki!" And with that, the door flew open.

A tall man stood in the doorway, his arms flung wide. His white hair flowed down his back, delicate pieces framing his amber-coloured eyes. He was clad in an expensive-looking purple suit with a flamboyantly ruffled shirt underneath and flared sleeves with yet more ruffles peeking out.

"Niisan," Yuki said weakly.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, Ayame?" Kyo growled, at the same time as Tohru cried "Ayame-kun!"

"Never mind that," Ayame said airily. "Come inside, my lovely children. Well, except for Kyonkichi! He is certainly _not_ lovely," he laughed, ushering them all inside.

"Don't call me that," Kyo muttered in Japanese.

"Why, Kyonkichi!" Ayame said reproachfully. "We must not converse in the soft, musical tones of our native tongue, for that would be excluding our gracious English hosts!"

"Harry, Ron, Hermione," said Yuki, in a voice that sounded extremely tired. "This is my older brother, Ayame."

"Yes, that's right!" cried Ayame, throwing his arms around Yuki. "My younger brother, whom I clasp to my bosom as he pours his heart out to me during his times of greatest trials!" Yuki fought his way out of his brother's embrace and sighed as he slumped back onto his chair. "And I see the sweet, gentle Tohru is here as well!" Ayame continued, unruffled by the rejection. "Come, Tohru-kun, I simply _must_ greet you!" and he moved to embrace her. He was thwarted, as Kyo and Yuki suddenly leapt out of their seats and seized the back of his suit.

"What are you _thinking_, you idiot?" Yuki hissed in Japanese.

"Now, now, Yuki," Ayame said with a patronizing air, in English. "You have forgotten that now, I may embrace whomever I like!"

"_Stupid!_" Yuki replied, again in Japanese. "Shut up! You can't talk about those things!" However, he and Kyo had both released Ayame, realizing their mistake.

"Er, right," said Harry awkwardly. "I've got to be back for five o'clock."

"Get outta here," Hagrid said, looking very exhausted indeed. "I'll see yer t'morrow."

"Why, what a tragedy! For you to leave before even introducing yourselves – alas, the chaos of our joyful reunion has –" Ayame was still carrying on as they left and shut the door.

* * *

After his detention, Harry was in a very bad mood. His hand stung viciously, and was bleeding through the bandages he'd clumsily applied. Hermione and Ron were waiting for him in the common room, but he just wanted to go to bed.

"So that's Yuki's brother," Hermione mused aloud.

"A real character, if you ask me," said Ron. Harry slumped in his chair.

"What d'you suppose he's doing here?" Harry asked, curious despite his mood. He reached up to scratch his nose.

"_Harry_!" gasped Hermione, spotting his bloody bandage. "_What is that?_"

"Er," said Harry guiltily. Ron was staring, mouth agape, as Hermione unwound the bandage.

"That horrible woman," said Hermione, tears of fury stinging her eyes. "That horrible, horrible _cow_."

"Tell McGonagall," Ron urged. "She'll go _mental_."

"That's exactly why I _can't_ tell her," Harry snapped. "D'you really think it's a good idea for McGonagall to have a go at a Ministry spy? Get herself sacked?"

Hermione's expression was still furious. "You're right, Harry, but...oh, that _despicable_ woman..."

Ron's eyebrows were knit together in a line across his forehead. "It's not right, mate. That's not right."

"I know," Harry said heavily.

They stopped talking abruptly as the Fat Lady's portrait swung open to emit three stooped forms. They seemed to be discussing something very intensely. It was none other than Tohru, Yuki and Kyo.

"Can we sit down?" Yuki asked heavily, approaching them. Harry really, really just wanted to go to bed, but something in Yuki's tone made him, Ron and Hermione nod in assent. Yuki slid down into one of the squashy armchairs. Tohru sat beside him, while Kyo dropped down on the floor in front of the fire, staring into the flames.

"So, that's your brother?" Ron asked with a barely suppressed grin. Yuki nodded, his eyes unfocused.

"If there was anyone in the entire world I could freely punch in the face, Ayame would make the top ten of my list," Kyo said suddenly, narrowing his eyes. Tohru nudged him with her foot, with a tiny frown.

Hermione tried to ignore Kyo's comment, though she couldn't wipe the surprise off her face, and turned to Yuki. "So, is your brother visiting?"

Yuki sighed a long sigh. "Maybe. It's the kind of stupid thing he'd do, flying halfway across the world to visit on my first week of term, but I think he's hiding something."

This time, Harry, Ron and Hermione were startled in earnest. Yuki had never been so open with them before, always watching what he said very carefully.

"I can't believe that that idiot could actually be capable of keeping a secret," Kyo scoffed. "It's bad enough that Shigure won't tell us a single damn thing." Put together, it was the most he'd said to anyone all week.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Hermione took advantage of the tiny opening.

Yuki and Tohru turned to face her, both with polite but guarded smiles. "Depends," said Yuki evenly, just as Tohru said "Of course, Hermione-san." They both laughed quietly and briefly at the simultaneous answer.

"There must be magical schools in Japan," Hermione said carefully.

"According to Dumbledore, yes," Yuki replied, letting his head fall back to rest on the top of his armchair, and closing his eyes. "I suppose you're wondering why we're here?"

"Well, yes," Hermione admitted. There was a long pause. Kyo wrapped his arms around his knees and glared into the fire, the light dancing on his hair. The effect was rather like someone had set his head on fire.

"We don't know either." Yuki turned to face Harry squarely. "May I ask a question in return?"

"I don't see why not."

"We read about He Who Must Not Be Named. It took a couple lunch period's worth of research, but we think we have the whole story."

"So that's where you were," Ron said, shuddering at the mention of the Dark Lord.

"Yes. Kyo preferred to do his research independently, but in the end, we've discussed it and seem to have a fair understanding."

"Go on then, ask your question," said Harry defiantly, staring directly at Yuki. There was a long silence.

"Is he back?"

Harry laughed bitterly, feeling the familiar anger welling up inside him. "Why ask me? If you've read the Daily Prophet, you'd know that I'm a lying, attention-seeking nutter."

"Harry, stop it," Hermione said, but she was cut off by Kyo.

"We believe you, so cut the crap."

Harry felt slightly embarrassed. "Oh."

"Dumbledore is a good man," Yuki continued, where his cousin had left off. "If Dumbledore is behind you, then we believe you. In addition, anyone who takes to slander and rumours to prove their point is not to be trusted, which is what those who oppose you have done." He said this last part with a certain fierceness, crossing his arms tightly.

Tohru stood and bowed deeply. "Harry-san, we are behind you," she said softly. "Please regard us kindly."

"Er, thanks," Harry replied awkwardly.

Yuki eased himself out of his chair. Kyo stood up and stretched, although his expression remained tight and wary. Without another word, they went to their separate dormitories.

"Blimey," said Ron.

Harry didn't say anything, because he couldn't think of anything to say that would sum up the conversation any better.

* * *

As you might have noticed, the story kind of switches between the Hogwarts trio's point of view and the Furuba trio. Next chapter will probably be more oriented towards the Furuba trio's perspective, but who knows? Haha.

'Niisan' is "older brother" in Japanese. 'Kyonkichi' translates roughly to "Lucky Kyo," and is what Ayame generally calls Kyo in the manga as an annoying sort of nickname.

Thanks for reading, I'd really appreciate if you would drop a review my way! Not that you guys haven't been doing great on the review front, thank you so much. Let me know how my characterisation is, and I'm always curious to hear where people think the plot is going, or answer any questions I can.

Humbly yours till next time,

Lysi


	8. Secrecy

Oh wow...I'm so sorry, guys! Once a week updates...yeah, that was a lie. School started up again and I'm double-majoring this year so it's been kinda busy, but I'll try to quit dropping the ball!

Here's a warning to you all: There are huge Fruits Basket spoilers in this chapter! If you have not read the manga, this is likely going to be a problem as this story progresses. The spoilers in this chapter are from after volume 15 or so, I believe.

Another note. I'm really sorry for this, but I won't be putting warnings for the spoiler within the chapter itself; just at the beginning of the chapter – and it will be like this the whole way through the story. I feel that putting ****SPOILER**** would totally interrupt the flow of the chapter.

**For anyone who's not read all of Furuba, I suggest you read my further comments on spoilers at the bottom of the chapter before proceeding. You can't miss it, it's in bold. But you don't have to. Just saying.**

Anyways, sorry for the huge ramble! I'll let you go on to the chapter now!

* * *

The doctor pulled his cloak tighter around him, the putting the hood up to disguise his face. He strode along the ancient stone of the hallways, finding his way easily to the large and imposing statue of a gargoyle.

"Sugar quill," he said quietly. The gargoyle cackled and leapt aside. He continued his steady, brisk walk up the winding staircase.

The paintings on the wall followed him curiously; he was just as curious about them, but of course his face betrayed no emotion. He kept his eyes straight forward as he mounted the staircase, his long legs making easy work of the steep climb.

He paused before the door at the top. Standing just outside was another figure; tall and lanky, with a mop of shaggy hair adorning his bent head. The figure was pulling deeply at a cigarette, looking out the window at the overcast sky. His expression was dark and thoughtful.

"Shall we go in, Shigure?"

"Haa-san!" Shigure said enthusiastically, masking any sign that Hatori had surprised him. His dark expression erased itself completely in a half-second. Hatori sighed.

"How did you get the cigarette lighter to work here?" Hatori asked as he raised his hand and knocked briskly on the door three times.

"Why, Haa-san! It's not electric, so of course it works! Didn't you study at all?" Shigure's expression was mockingly surprised.

Hatori did not dignify his old friend with an answer. The door opened of its own accord. "Come in," called a voice.

They stepped into Dumbledore's office, neither giving so much as a second glance to the wonderful objects that spun and whirred and floated around the circular room. The Headmaster himself was seated at a beautiful desk, stroking the head of a handsome, flame-red bird.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Hatori said in smooth, flawless English.

"Good morning, Hatori, Shigure," Dumbledore replied politely. "Please, do sit down." He waved his wand, and two squashy armchairs materialised out of nowhere.

"Ha ha," laughed Shigure, "I feel like a schoolboy being called to the principal's office again."

Dumbledore smiled. "I assume Ayame has left already."

"I made sure of it, Headmaster," Hatori replied, his tone frosty. "He should not have made contact with his brother. We all felt it was safer if he were to return to Japan. You have already talked to him, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have discussed everything I need to with Ayame," Dumbledore confirmed.

"How are our little charges adjusting?" Shigure asked, as if making small talk.

"Very well, it seems. They are working hard at their studies and have made some friends."

"With Potter and his little group, correct?"

Dumbledore looked at Shigure gravely, resting his chin on his long, thin hands. His blue eyes were piercing from behind his gold-rimmed spectacles. A long moment passed in the office, the only noise coming from the busily working magical devices that adorned its every corner.

"Yes, with Potter," the Headmaster sighed heavily. "Just as you planned, isn't it, Shigure?"

Shigure laughed, although this time it was a dark and sarcastic sound. "Just as I planned? Just as we all planned, Dumbledore. Don't pretend that their coming here was for any other purpose."

"It depends on whose purposes you would be referring to."

Hatori's good eye narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Headmaster, I had been under the impression that we were all working towards the same goal here."

"I realise," said Dumbledore heavily, "that despite our goals having some common overlap, your main priority is the Head of the Sohma family. While I am sure this concern is well-placed, I unfortunately do not share the same level of need to ensure the Head's well-being. My main aim is the same as it has always been."

"All the same," Shigure said, keeping his tone light, "it doesn't change the fact that we are all guilty of manipulating pawns in this game. In fact, I believe Potter has been unwittingly subject to the rules of this particular game since he was born."

The Headmaster made no reply, but removed his glasses and covered his hand with his eyes briefly, sighing so quietly that only the movement of his shoulders betrayed it. "I will justify nothing," he said quietly, "although I regret it."

"Conscience, Headmaster?" Shigure said, his tone still light but mocking. "You are, of course, not the only one guilty. The Sohma family has been manipulating these children for years."

"Hardly children, Shigure," Dumbledore corrected, perching his spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "They may be young, but none have had an easy life."

"No Sohma ever has an easy life," Hatori said coolly. "It is part of our burden."

"We'll be returning to Japan later today," Shigure said with a friendly smile, seeming to ignore Hatori's statement, "but we'll be coming to visit at Christmas. Give my regards to our charges. Or rather, don't – perhaps it's best they don't know we've been here. It's been a pleasure, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore did not speak for a long moment, intertwining his long fingers. "A pleasure," he said softly as the two Sohma men swept out the door.

* * *

The weekend passed uneventfully. Tohru and Hermione spent most of their Saturday on a pile of homework, working quietly with their heads bent together. Hermione kindly helped Tohru through her assignments. She generously offered to do the same for Harry and Ron, who uncomfortably declined. Neither was ready to spend a weekend day doing homework, although it caused them both little pangs of guilt.

Yuki and Kyo had seemed to be participating in some kind of intense, jaw-clenching homework marathon race, sitting across the table from each other, writing furiously, flipping book pages violently. Kyo pulled ahead in Potions, finishing his essay first, but then Yuki almost effortlessly completed his History of Magic homework without breaking a sweat, putting him in the lead again. Harry and Ron watched with horrified fascination as their quills flew, nearly knocking over inkpots in their fury. Finally Yuki finished triumphantly first. Poor Kyo had lost control of his temper and thrown his Transfiguration homework into the fire.

Hermione had sighed, summoned it out of the fire, and repaired it best she could as Kyo glared at the ground, his ears red with embarrassment.

Once everyone had more or less completed their homework, Tohru taught them all how to play a Japanese card game called Dai-Hin-Min, which meant something along the lines of "Poor Man, Rich Man." In turn, Ron taught them all how to play wizard chess. These games didn't last for long before they degenerated into intense showdowns between Yuki and Kyo, with all the other players watching in horror as the two boys competed as if they were going to play to the death. Finally the group settled on taking long walks outside as a way to pass the time, visiting the Giant Squid before the weather cooled and it retreated to its winter lair.

"Monday," Ron groaned at the breakfast table the next day. "It always seems to come back." Seamus seemed to be drooping into his cereal bowl; no one was ever ready for weekends to end.

After Kyo, Tohru and Yuki's declaration of faith in Harry, their friendship grew by leaps and bounds. Even now Kyo was nodding his head in assent to Ron's comment, whereas before he wouldn't have acknowledged the existence of anyone else at the table.

"I like Mondays," Tohru said happily, not seeming to notice the stares of disbelief that followed her comment. "It is a new beginning to a fresh week!"

"She's one of a kind," muttered Ron, causing Dean to burst out laughing.

Tohru's optimism was sadly misplaced. Monday went from Monday to bad to worse. Potions with the Slytherins hardly helped kick things off to a good start – Snape's glares and snide comments made them all panicky, especially flustering Yuki, whose potions tended towards disaster to start with. To make matters worse, Malfoy seemed to be watching them all very carefully, smirking all the while.

"D'you think he's got something up his sleeve?" Ron whispered, shooting Malfoy a venomous look.

"No," Hermione said casually, "he's just trying to make us nervous by pretending he does." She turned to face Malfoy and gave him a lovely smile. Malfoy's expression turned confused and he started to whisper to Pansy Parkinson. Hermione winked cheekily at him and turned away again.

"See, now we've given _him_ something to think about," she said matter-of-factly.

"Hermione," said Ron, "have I ever told you I love you?" At that, her cheeks tinged a faint pink, but she made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"It's just tactics," she said airily.

Next, they all trooped to Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had started off slow last week, introducing them to Bowtruckles – for this Harry, Hermione and Ron were especially grateful. When they reached his hut with the rest of the Gryffindors, though, Hagrid's gleeful expression turned Harry's stomach into a pit of dread.

"I've got somethin' excitin' ter show yeh!" he boomed, once the Gryffindors and Slytherins were more or less assembled in front of his hut. Only Tohru, Yuki and Kyo looked excited. The Gryffindors looked a little apprehensive, and the Slytherins were snickering and whispering to each other.

"Come on, this way," the gigantic man said happily. He gestured towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Oh no," moaned Lavender.

"Oh yes," Hagrid countered, looking slightly put out. "Don' worry, what I'm abou' ter show yeh is harmless. They wouldn' hurt nobody." Nobody's dire expressions changed at his reassuring words. "Come on, now." And he turned, his huge back leading the way into the Forest.

They didn't go far before Hagrid stopped in a small, pretty clearing. He opened the sack he had been carrying and tossed its contents on the ground – dripping, raw meat. Some of the girls squealed.

"I'm goin' ter call 'em now," Hagrid told the class. "Stan' back a ways." He threw back his head and let out a shrieking, bird-like call.

Startled, the students jumped back, as if expecting something to burst through the trees at that very moment. Hagrid let out the shrieking cry again.

"Here they come!" he cried excitedly.

Suddenly, Kyo saw them. The hideous horses he had seen on the day he had arrived at Hogwarts were picking their way through the trees, heading for the chunks of raw meat. Their leathery wings rested serenely against their bony sides, and their eyes glinted dully. One emerged into the dim light of the clearing; Kyo resisted the urge to back away. He stared hard at it, feeling horror but at the same time a sense of relief that he _wasn't_ insane for seeing them.

Something was wrong. The other students were staring in shock and horror, their eyes trained not on the horses, but on the meat they were now feasting on. Some began to look around in confusion. Couldn't they _see_ what was right in front of them? Kyo turned to Tohru – she too was glancing around nervously.

"Tohru," he said lowly to her. "Right there, don't you see them?"

She shook her head, squinting her eyes and focussing intensely on the spot he was pointing to. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyo saw Harry looking at the beasts.

"Alrigh'," Hagrid said after a moment. "How many of you can see 'em?"

"The meat's vanishing, is that what you mean?" Parvati asked nervously.

Hagrid chuckled. "No. Raise yer hand if you can see the horses."

Slowly, a few hands went up. Harry first, then a stringy Slytherin boy, and finally Neville. Hagrid looked sharply at Kyo. "I know you can see 'em, Sohma, so put yer hand up." Kyo made no response, but raised his hand slightly.

The huge man paused for a minute, his expression hard to fathom as he surveyed the students with their hands in the air. "They're called Thestrals," he began. Hermione let out a little 'oh' of comprehension. "This here's the biggest domesticated herd in England," Hagrid added with a touch of pride. "Fer those of yeh who can't see 'em, they look like big horses with wings. Fer those of yeh who can see 'em...Yeh can on'y see Thestrals if yeh've seen death."

Harry's hand dropped limply as the image of Cedric's spread-eagled body flashed in front of his eyes, mixing with the sound of the familiar high, cold laughter he knew he had heard when his mother had been murdered. He glanced around. Neville and the stringy Slytherin boy looked slightly uncomfortable, but Kyo had gone deathly pale, his hands clenched fiercely. The Japanese boy seemed to barely register anything around him. Even through his own horrified memories, Harry was intensely curious about what Kyo was remembering.

* * *

_Her._

_Kyoko._

_Kyoko's hair, bright in contrast with the dull asphalt of the road, fanned out around her head. _

_Kyoko's pale, slender hand. Smooth and still._

Kyo nearly doubled over as the force of the pain hit him square in the gut. He needed to run. He couldn't breathe. He was going to throw up.

_Kyoko Honda._

Without knowing exactly what he was trying to do, Kyo stumbled backwards, away from...away from what? Away from the Thestrals. Away from _her_. But she wasn't really there. She wasn't _anywhere_. Kept alive only in Kyo's tormented memories.

And in Tohru's.

He lurched towards the castle. Someone's hand was gripping his arm. He wrenched himself away. He needed to get out.

"_I won't...forgive you."_

* * *

After Kyo had left the class, the mood had been generally sombre. No one had asked Harry how he could see the Thestrals; they had all seen him arrive in the field, sobbing and clutching Cedric's body. Neville had uncomfortably told the Gryffindors that it was his grandfather he had seen die, but that he didn't remember it very well, as he had been very young.

Kyo's retreat was not mentioned except in hushed whispers as Hagrid tried his best to finish teaching the class full of restless and confused students. Yuki and Tohru looked just as confused as anyone else, and Tohru practically sprinted away as soon as class was finished. Yuki hung back with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"It's not like him," Yuki said as they crossed the school grounds. "Kyo's not like that."

"I dunno," Ron disagreed, "he doesn't seem the type to hold his feelings in."

Yuki's lavender eyes were far-off. "No," he conceded, "he doesn't hold _anger_ in. Whenever Kyo feels something extreme, even extreme happiness, he masks it with anger or competitiveness. He doesn't let himself feel anything too...well, too difficult to process. I suppose anger and bitterness are the easiest for him, so that's what he defaults to. He's been like that ever since he was very little."

"Why?" Harry asked before he could stop himself, then quickly backtracked. "I mean – sorry – you don't have to-"

"We grew up in an abusive home," Yuki said without much emotion in his voice. "Kyo got the worst of it. His mother killed herself from the stress and his father blames him to this day."

Hermione let out a little gasp of surprise, looking utterly taken aback, but Yuki continued. "So I'm surprised that he showed that much emotion. It must be something that Tohru and I don't know about. It takes a lot to rattle Kyo." The pale boy focussed his level gaze on Harry. "Please forgive me if I'm being too forward, but..."

"It happened last year," Harry explained quietly, in response to Yuki's unspoken question. "Someone...a friend...I saw him get killed by a Death Eater. That's why I can see the Thestrals."

"A Death Eater? A follower of Lord Voldemort?" Yuki asked. Harry nodded mutely, trying to drive the images from his brain, but in a corner of his mind he realised that Yuki's questions were in part a way to drive the conversation away from Kyo.

"If this friend was killed by Lord Voldemort's followers, how can people still deny that Voldemort has returned?"

Ron tried not to flinch at the Dark Lord's name as Hermione fixed him with a steely glare.

"They chalked it up to an accident," Harry replied, feeling the simmering anger start to build up in him. "They..."

"They're afraid," Hermione cut in softly. "They don't want to believe it."

"They're cowards," Harry said hotly.

"That's what they said about Kyo's mother at first." Yuki's tone was somewhere very far off. In his mind, he could hear the murmuring voices of the adults floating over his head, echoes from when he had been a very small child. _Accident...accident...don't tell the boy...The son doesn't need to know..._ He hadn't understood until years later. "They said it was an accident. No one wanted to face it...how twisted the Sohma family really is. It's amazing how people will bury their heads in the sand."

Harry thought he heard something in Yuki's tone that suggested that Yuki himself had unpleasant memories of the Sohma family as well, but he didn't want to ask. For some reason, pressure was building up in his chest. He couldn't stand hearing about all this misery and injustice...He needed to _do_ something, to yell or make people understand _something_...all at the same time, he wanted to _make_ people take Voldemort's return seriously. He wanted to fix Yuki and Kyo, he wanted to hurt anyone who would blame someone's death on a child, he wanted his parents to come back because it was so unfair that they were gone in the first place, that they had gone before he could even know them. Yuki's calm tone irritated him. Hermione's quiet, sad face annoyed him; it was as if she was resigned and didn't see just how unfair it all was. Ron was giving Harry one of those concerned looks, which irritated him all the further...

"I need to talk to Kyo," Harry burst out. That was something he could do, for the time being, at least.

"It's not a good idea," Yuki said quietly. "You can try, but..." he spread his hands helplessly.

"I will, then," Harry snapped. "I don't know why you've given up on him, Yuki, but I think..." He recoiled at the stricken look on Yuki's face.

"Harry, _enough_," Hermione flared suddenly. "You're jumping down _all_ of our throats, and we're all here to _help_ you! What do you know about Kyo, and what makes it alright for you to speak to your friends like that?" she took a steadying breath, although her eyes were still fierce.

Ron cut in, speaking in a firm but imploring tone. "Harry, mate, we're all on your side, but this isn't about Kyo, is it? This is something you need to sort out."

"No, he's right," Yuki said gently. His face was still half-shocked and half-hurt, but it seemed that those emotions weren't directed at Harry. "We've all...in the Sohma family...we haven't..." he trailed off, still with the stricken expression, but his eyes were very far away.

Harry felt a horrible guilt welling up inside him. He hadn't mean to pry into their family business, and he hadn't meant to hurt Yuki like that. Ron was right. It wasn't really all about Kyo; Harry felt that people had given up on _him_. That he had been the Boy who Lived, until it was inconvenient to believe that Voldemort had returned; and now he was some kind of madman. The times he'd helped Hogwarts in its time of need were forgotten, because the wizarding world was too afraid to believe him, to believe Dumbledore. And now, he was living up to his insane reputation by taking out his anger on his friends, the only people he could really trust – not only Ron and Hermione, but the very people who had, after knowing him less than a month, put themselves squarely on the side of unpopular opinion by showing him their support. What was _wrong_ with him?

Hermione seemed to read his mind, taking in the expression on his face. "There's nothing _wrong_ with you, Harry," she said quietly and gently, putting a hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Yuki," Harry said to the Japanese boy, looking him full in the face.

Yuki smiled. "It's alright. Friends, still?"

Harry returned Yuki's smile, and they shook hands; then everyone walked in companionable silence to the Gryffindor dorm.

* * *

Wow...long, drama-filled chapter there. In addition, it's way shorter and less dramatic than it was, before I cut a bunch out. I really hope I was true to everyone's characters... -nervous laugh-

So, a Furuba-focussed chapter here, and some plot details. Oooo! I'm getting excited, hope you guys are too. I'll probably continue to jump around from Furuba-focussed chapters to Harry Potter-focussed chapters. I know everyone seems a little emo right now, but don't worry, they'll cheer up.

**And now to conclude my little ramble on spoilers:**

If you've just watched the anime and are okay with doing this, I suggest looking up the Furuba plotline on Wikipedia or somewhere just so you have the general gist of what's happening. If you're still working on the manga, I believe all the volumes are now available worldwide, so I would recommend finishing the manga first if possible.

Very lastly, every time I reveal a _new _FB spoiler, I'll tell you at the beginning of a chapter. If I'm just referencing a spoiler I've already mentioned, I won't warn you. Hope that's OK!


	9. God

Harry dreamed again that night.

_He was moving through a damp, chilled room with only the sparsest of furnishings, eyeing his surroundings with a cool interest. The windows were boarded, allowing only pale, weak glitters of natural light to pass. A high-backed chair sat in the middle of the floor._

_The figure seated in the chair lazily waved a wand, conjuring a shimmering image. Harry watched silently as the pale, pointed face of a boy took shape. _

_The boy was beautiful, there was no doubt about it; a smooth, porcelain face ending in a delicately pointed chin, a decisively angular nose, and large dark eyes under thin black brows. His black hair fell into his eyes, but not carelessly – he looked well-groomed, and the expression on his face was decidedly haughty, even cruel._

_The chair's occupant sighed as he watched the image scowl softly. "What is your name? Where can I find you?" he asked in a high, cold voice, although he was clearly not expecting an answer. After a long moment of contemplation, Harry saw a white hand dart out as if to strike the image. The face dissolved at the hand's touch._

_Harry noticed something odd – he was looking up at the whole scene, as if he were lying on his belly on the floor._

"_I will find you, God," the cold voice said, and sank back into the chair._

Harry woke, not sweating and panting, but deeply disturbed. The boys in the dormitory snored softly around him, and the sound was comforting enough that Harry could close his eyes and drift back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next weeks were quiet. Yuki never mentioned again what he had told Harry about his and Kyo's childhood, and everyone carefully avoided the subject of Kyo's violent reaction to the Thestrals. Kyo spent less and less time with the others, and started vanishing for long periods of time after classes were over. Yuki, for his part, was as polite and mysterious as always. Harry couldn't tell how much the incident had affected him, but he knew now that there was something complicated in the relationship between the two cousins.

Hallowe'en was coming fast, and with it the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Despite the inevitable tension that hung over the group in Kyo's frequent absences, Harry, Hermione and Ron couldn't help but be excited. At the moment, Hermione was trying to explain a Hogsmeade visit to Tohru, who listened with wide eyes.

"A _village_ of wizards?" Tohru asked incredulously.

"Yes," Hermione said with a grin. "And there's all these lovely shops and pubs you can see, too."  
"I bet you'll have loads of fun, Tohru," Ron said encouragingly. "You really ought to come with us."

Tohru bit her lip uncertainly. "Hmm…well, ah…" she stalled, looking to Yuki as if for reassurance.

"She's wondering how much it costs and if it will interfere with her schoolwork," Yuki said with a fond smile. "Am I right, Honda-san?"

Tohru nodded, a blush tinting her cheeks.

"Oh, don't worry, Tohru," Hermione reassured her. "All you need to do is get a permission slip from your parent or guardian, and it's only a day. We'll have plenty of time to catch up on homework."

"Blimey, Tohru, there's more to school than _homework_," Ron said, earning a glare from Hermione. Tohru smiled.

"I wonder…if there are villages of wizards in Japan," she wondered aloud. "Hana-chan would enjoy that."

"Hana-what?" Harry repeated.

"Oh, Hana-chan is one of my best friends in the world!" Tohru explained enthusiastically. "She and Uo-chan are wonderful. They've been taking care of me since…" She trailed off for a second, then her face brightened. "You would love them! Uo-chan was a gang member, and Hana-chan is a psychic who can see waves. I wish I could introduce you!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, not fully being able to imagine Tohru's best friends.

"So this means we would have to obtain permission from Shigure," Yuki mused aloud. He made a face at the thought.

"Are you worried he won't let you go?" Ron asked him.

"No, I'm worried he'll want to come along," Yuki said flatly. "Perhaps I'll tell him that it's an educational field trip, very boring…"

"Should we…ask him to sign a slip for Kyo-kun, as well?" Tohru asked quietly.

Everyone turned to Tohru. She wouldn't look directly at any of them, instead biting her lip and staring at the floor.

"Yes, we should," Yuki said softly. "That's a good idea, Honda-san."

There was a brief silence, and the light mood was suddenly gone. Harry suddenly felt exhausted. He slumped in his chair a little, staring into the fire.

"You look tired, Harry," Hermione said pointedly. "Have you been sleeping well?"

Harry stifled the urge to groan and bury his face in his hands. He loved Hermione, but sometimes he wished she couldn't see right through him.

"He's had another one of those dreams," Ron answered her over Harry's head. This time Harry _did_ groan and bury his head in his arms. Ron could also be unusually perceptive, usually at the most inconvenient moments.

"Dreams?" Yuki asked, turning to look at Harry. His lavender eyes were contemplative.

Hermione cautiously looked at Ron, and then at Harry. Harry sensed what she was looking for, and gave a resigned and almost imperceptible nod. She turned back to Yuki and Tohru.

"Do you remember most of what you've read about the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked them.

"Yes," Yuki answered calmly. "And I'm guessing that this has something to do with his connection to Harry."

"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded, a little more sharply than he'd meant to. Yuki did not seem to notice Harry's tone.

"We guessed, Harry-san," Tohru replied in a conciliatory tone. Yuki nodded and continued for her.

"We inferred that since he was, for some reason, unable to kill you – and since he left a most interesting scar – that there was something there beyond what the books were telling us."

"I'm terribly sorry to pry, Harry-san," Tohru said, twisting the ends of her sleeves between her fingers. "A few times – just by accident, ah, I may have seen…your scar…you seemed to be in pain?" She ended her sentence as a question, but didn't wait for an answer. "So I told Yuki-kun, and he thought of the idea of connection…"

"Well, you're right," Harry said with resignation. "I've been having dreams…about Voldemort. It almost seems like…er…like I can see what he's up to, or something."

For some reason, Yuki and Tohru did not look nearly as shocked as Hermione and Ron had. Little did the English trio know, those two were well-versed in a world of mystical connections and bonds. However, Yuki suspected that Harry was hiding something about these dreams. He didn't press it, and waited for Harry to continue.

"I've had another dream, just recently. He's…Voldemort's…looking for something. Somebody."

Hermione and Ron were both listening with rapt attention, although Ron was looking more horrified than fascinated. Obviously, the name Voldemort struck more terror into Ron than into Hermione, Yuki noted. He would have to think about that later.

Harry saw that everyone was waiting for him to continue, so he did, even though he was growing more uncomfortable by the second. "Er…this sounds stupid, but…he was looking for a boy. There was this image of a boy floating in the air in front of him. Voldemort-"

"Oh, stop that cringing, Ron."

"Right. Anyways," Harry continued, "Voldemort said he was looking for God."

This had a noticeable and unmistakable effect on Yuki and Tohru. Both blanched, and Tohru swayed in her seat.

"Harry-san," she said urgently, recovering faster than Yuki. "Please – please tell us, if you would, what this boy might have looked like?"

Harry described the boy in as much detail as he could remember. Suddenly, he noticed Yuki had procured a paper and quill from somewhere, and was scratching furiously.

"Harry, does the boy look like this?" Yuki showed Harry a drawing.

"Wow, Yuki, you're an artist?" Ron said admiringly, studying the picture's graceful lines. Harry, however, was at a complete loss for words.

"You…know him?" Harry croaked, recovering from his silence.

Yuki's voice shook. "His name is Akito," he said.

* * *

"There's something about them," Hermione said, not for the first time, as she, Harry and Ron sat in the library.

"Oh, give it up, Hermione!" Ron said exasperatedly. "Not everyone in the world is a bloody enemy!"

"_Quiet_!" Madame Pince hissed, swooping past them.

Hermione cast Ron a hurt look, and lowered her voice. "I didn't say they were," she whispered fiercely. "But they're hiding something."

"Well, couldn't that…that boy be a coincidence…or something?" Ron finished lamely.

"You know better than that," Hermione replied loftily. Ron's ears turned pink.

"Well, fine," he mumbled. Harry was trying to tune out their bickering, lost in thought.

"Let's think this through," Hermione said practically. "They were brought here from Japan, by Dumbledore himself, even though there are magical schools there."

"And they're a little old to be starting school," Ron mused, seemingly forgetting his earlier objections to speculation.

Hermione nodded her agreement. "Now, what do we know about the Sohma family?"

There was a silence. "Not much," Ron admitted. "They have some kind of secret, though, I reckon."

"They're on speaking terms with God," Harry cut in suddenly, with a sarcastic tone. Hermione's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Wait," she said breathlessly. "Have you ever seen Yuki or Kyo talk to girls other than me and Tohru?"

"What?" Harry asked.

Ron snorted. "Once, I saw a girl pretend to trip in front of Kyo. Some stupid thing girls do – suppose she was hoping Kyo would catch her."

"And?" Hermione demanded.

"He jumped right out of the way and let her fall," Ron said. "Thought it was funny at the time, but now that I think about it, it's a bit off…"

"So he's afraid of girls," Harry said skeptically. "I don't see how-"

Hermione shushed him, frantically rummaging through her bag. She finally pulled out an old, dusty volume, entitled _Curses of the Bloodline – A Field Researcher's Guide_. Flipping through the pages, she reached a chapter called _Adverse Effects of Common Curses. _"No, that's no good," she muttered, continuing her search. She found a chapter subsection called _Adverse Effects: Rare Curses._

The book's lettering was thin and spidery, hard to read against the dry, brittle pages. _Curses of the bloodline often come with incurable, unfortunate, and entirely inconvenient effects,_ the book droned. _If the reader has diligently studied the rest of the chapter, on Adverse Effects of Common Curses, then the reader will be aware of common curse effects, such as deaths of firstborns, failure of crops and/or livestock, inability to amass significant wealth, and general other assorted misfortunes. _Harry, leaning over the page with Ron and Hermione, felt a bit like the book was lecturing him for not paying close enough attention. _Some curses have been laid upon a bloodline for reasons other than pure vengeance or spite, _the book continued_. Many of these curses come with very specific and unusual effects, tailored to the curse-giver's intentions._

Hermione impatiently flipped forward a page. It was a laborious list of unusual or even unique curse effects, and the curse(s) that spawned said effects were listed immediately following.

_A curse observed in Japan, first recorded around 1433, resulted in the effect of cursed individuals transfiguring into animals when embraced by a member of the opposite sex. Cursed individuals also often possessed hair or eyes of an unusual colour. Curse: Unknown. Curse Status: Unique._

"See?" Hermione said eagerly, jabbing her finger at the relevant paragraph. "It all fits."

"All fits?" Harry asked incredulously. "When did you start figuring they were _cursed_?"

Hermione blushed. "Well…I felt that they had a secret, but you can't exactly find a book on _People who Act Like They Have Secrets_, so I started with things like their hair and eye colour. When I saw that Yuki's brother had the same odd colouring, I started wondering whether there was something about the _whole _Sohma family, not just those two…I looked at a lot of books, but when Harry said that thing about _God_, for some reason that called this particular curse back to mind…" She trailed off, and then her eyes lit up with another thought. "And, remember, when we first met Yuki's brother?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Interesting personality, that fellow. Did you see when he went to go and hug Tohru—Oh!" An expression of comprehension dawned onto Ron's face. "Blimey! So _that's _why they pulled him back like that!"

Harry felt slightly unsettled and defensive of his new friends. He knew what it felt like to be cursed, different – for some reason he didn't like applying those words to the Sohmas at all. He knew that Hermione had a point, though, and that her intentions were far from malicious. He chewed on the end of his quill absently.

"So what does Tohru have to do with all this? And that…Akito fellow?" Harry mused.

"I don't know," Hermione said, looking slightly bothered. "Yuki said that Akito was just a member of the Sohma family, but I don't believe that's the whole story."

"What do we do, then?" Ron asked her.

"I'll find the curse," Hermione said resolutely. Harry and Ron's jaws dropped.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you two," she said impatiently. "The search is already narrowed down to a curse from Japan, first recorded in 1433, that affects the Sohma family. It won't be _that_ hard."

* * *

That afternoon, Kyo had a set-to with Professor Umbridge. The large, toad-like woman had been delivering a particularly foul lecture in which she simpered about how students were better off being protected from the knowledge of curses and other such afflictions. Harry had become better at ignoring Umbridge, but Kyo was visibly bristling. Suddenly he glared up at her.

"I don't agree," he said lowly.

"Hand, Mr. Sohma," Umbridge said nastily, fixing a predatory grin on Kyo. He tersely shot his hand into the air.

"Now, dear, did you have something to say?" sang Umbridge.

"You're wrong," Kyo spat.

"Is that so? About what, my dear?" Umbridge's pleasant expression had become rather fixed.

"The Ministry of Magic isn't protecting anyone by sheltering them," he shot back. "Curses exist. That's life." Umbridge cleared her throat as if to interrupt, but Kyo ranted on, his voice rising. "It's disgusting to think that the Ministry wants us to wander around, just…not knowing until something hits us. What then? What are _you_ going to do to fix someone's broken life? Just treat them like they don't exist?"

A thick, heavy silence hung over the room. The expressions on the other student's faces ranged from shocked to admiring. Umbridge cleared her throat again, with her signature little _hem-hem._

"Detention, Mr. Sohma," she said coldly. "Now, if you would all please turn to page 947…"

Kyo earned himself a week's detention, which he attended with stony determination. He spent even less time in the common room and dormitories from that point on.

The Hogsmeade weekend came and went. Harry had to admit, Tohru was adorable as she gawped and stared and gasped at the amazing sights – just as he had on his first visit. They came home with their arms full of Zonko's joke products, magical candy, and bottles of Butterbeer. When she thought no one was looking, Tohru furtively bought a tiny toy cat and a tiny toy mouse, which were startlingly realistic and moved about on their own.

Soon, the big Hallowe'en feast was upon them. The decorations were spectacular, as always. Bats fluttered about the ceiling, and the ghosts happily floated through tables and students alike. Gigantic pumpkins, some as tall as the diminutive Tohru, were scattered around the Hall.

"Will I ever get used to this?" Yuki sighed contentedly, scraping the last bit of pumpkin pie with his fork. He grinned as the plate refilled itself. "I feel still like I might wake up and realize I've been dreaming."

Harry knew exactly what he meant. He smiled at his friend. Everyone was in a good mood today – Kyo was even sitting with them and not scowling or bolting down his meal as fast as humanly possible. Yuki had to keep reminding Tohru to eat, so enthralled was she with the Hallowe'en festivities. Currently she was engaged in a lively discussion with Nearly Headless Nick, who seemed flattered by her earnest interest in his life and doings.

"Potter."

Harry was yanked out of his thoughts by the sound of Kyo's voice. His head snapped up in surprise; Kyo hadn't addressed him directly since the Thestral incident. Kyo's voice was curt, but his face was…resigned? Maybe even a little sad.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you?"

Harry understood immediately what he meant, and made some excuse to his friends about needing to use the toilets. Kyo followed shortly, and the two boys strode along the halls together. Kyo was tense, and dodged impatiently around gaggles of students. Harry figured he would spit out whatever he needed to say in due time, so he waited in silence.

"You've been having dreams," Kyo finally said. It wasn't a question.

"What's it to you?" Harry replied, somewhat defensively. Kyo stopped walking; they were in a quiet section of the halls, with no students around. He ran a hand impatiently through his hair.

"I can't tell you," he spat out angrily. "There's something I can't tell you, and it's important."

"So…er…you wanted to tell me that?"

Kyo sighed in exasperation and crossed his arms. "Yes. No. Damn it." He shook his head. "Look, Potter, there's something strange about the Sohma family. You know that." Harry nodded, and Kyo continued. "I can't tell you what it is, but something…happened. Before we came here. Something major changed in the Sohma family, but it…doesn't feel…right. _Kuso,_ this is difficult!"

Harry didn't know the Japanese word, but he was fairly sure it wasn't polite. "And it has something to do with what's-his-name," he speculated. "Akito."

Kyo bristled visibly. "Yes, it does. And I think…I think it also has something to do with…Dumbledore. I think he caused the change, and I think that maybe…maybe it was going to happen anyways, but Dumbledore did _something_ to force it along, and it doesn't feel right. I don't know why he did it, but I have a gut feeling. Do you understand?"

A pit was growing in Harry's stomach. The feeling that had been gnawing away at him for months was slowly uncurling into a pool of dread. The feeling that the Sohma's secret wasn't some fun mystery – it was something deeper and more frightening than they had all bargained for, and that it maybe…just maybe…was connected to Harry's dark adversary. At the same time, a rush of excitement was slowly building in Harry's chest. Kyo _wanted_ him to figure this out, but couldn't tell him as much – but now, there was definitely a lead.

"Kyo, why can't you just tell me about the Sohma family?"

Kyo's brows knit together and he averted his eyes. "They're my only family. I can't just…betray…" He trailed off and raised his eyes to look into Harry's with a fierce intensity. "I know you and Granger and Weasley have been digging around. Harry Potter, I'm not going to tell you our secret, and I'm not going to ask you to find it, but…Hermione is very determined, isn't she?" He flashed Harry a dark grin, and turned on his heel.

Harry stood and watched him as he disappeared down the hallway, trying to sort out the jumble of his thoughts. He stood there for a long time before finally turning and heading towards his own dorm.

I know, I suck for not updating. My old readers are probably long gone and I don't blame them...I'm sorry...but I am going to try and push through and finish this. I wrote most of chapter 10 as well and will be posting it today or tomorrow. For any new readers, welcome and thanks for all the lovely reviews! I keep forgetting about review responses and am terrible about keeping it up, so I'm sorry again. Chapter 10 to come soon!


	10. The Game of Chess

The days, weeks and months continued to fly by. Yuki was grateful for one thing, and that was the fact that they were attending a school. Studying was something that had always come naturally to him, and doing his schoolwork was something that was very grounding to him; especially in a world where things still did not feel quite real.

"Studying's really the only thing I'm good at," he confided to Hermione one day, as they walked to class together. He sighed and tipped his face up towards the sky, letting the crisp, early-winter air flutter across his cheeks.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Hermione laughed. "Reading is one of my favourite things in the world. It's really incredible that there are so many things out there to learn."

Yuki smiled sidelong at her. "The thing is, Miss Granger, you're very intelligent. You can work out puzzles and you're clever and quick and eager to learn."

"And you're not?" Hermione teased.

"No," he said quietly. His face was contemplative. "I'm not clever. I just know how to memorize things, that's all. I just work hard."

They walked in silence for a moment. Hermione turned her head to look at him; his lavender eyes were closed, and he still had his face tipped up to the sky.

"I'm a dull person, really," Yuki said, with a sad smile. "Boring."

"Is that really true?"

Yuki stopped walking and furrowed his brow. He was about to answer, but something about Hermione's expression silenced him. He started moving again, vaguely aware of his shoes crunching on a small patch of frosted grass.

After a moment, Hermione looked over at him with a smile. "You know, Yuki, I don't find you dull at all." She grinned and then ducked into the Herbology greenhouse. Involuntarily, a large smile crossed Yuki's face as he followed her in.

Yuki couldn't help himself; he was starting to really care for his newfound friends. Distant, painful, sharp and sweet memories from his childhood had always created something of a barrier in Yuki's heart; the patter of tiny feet in games of tag, the laughter of children, and then – that fateful day. The day he forgot what he was, forgot entirely to be careful with girls. The day Hatori had given him an anguished look before asking him to wait outside the room. The day his friends filed out one by one, blank expressions on their faces. He had tried to make eye contact, but he was no longer their friend Yuki. It was terrifying to scan familiar faces and see no recognition; like being lost at sea. Perhaps, all these years, Yuki had subconsciously shielded himself from experiencing that terror again by avoiding the familiar. If no one was too close to him, if he didn't come to expect recognition, then its absence wouldn't be quite so…

Somehow, though, his guard had started to let down. Logically, he knew that the threat of losing his friends was still there. He had the acute feeling that if Akito sent word, they could and would be brought back to Japan immediately. The curse may have been broken, but it was still a secret, and Akito was still the Head of the family. Hatori still had the power to erase memories, and Yuki could not confidently say that he wouldn't use it. Despite all these things – perhaps it was the ocean between him and Japan, perhaps it was the dream-like feeling of Hogwarts – Yuki felt safer now than ever before.

And to think…Hermione did not find him dull at all. She wouldn't know it, but her words glowed in his heart for a long while.

* * *

Kyo, on the other hand, did not feel safe at all. He was irritable. Something was gnawing at him from the inside. He couldn't quite figure it out, but he was nervous.

He was worried about Tohru. It was difficult to put his finger on, but she seemed…quieter than usual. Not in any obvious way. Her eyes would be distant, or her sentences would trail off here and there. He wondered if anyone else would even notice.

He had been avoiding Tohru. He knew she knew it. Kyo couldn't help himself; it was unimaginable to face her now, when he couldn't get Kyoko's image out of his head. "A promise, kiddo," Kyoko said to him that day. "I'll put it on your tab!" she had called after him, on the last day they talked. He saw her slender form, laughing eyes, brilliant hair blowing in the wind; even as he said those childish, angry words to her. She had forgiven him then.

Some promise. Kyo was failing miserably to uphold it.

* * *

As Christmas approached, the Japanese trio received a disturbing letter. Disturbing to Kyo and Yuki, anyways; Tohru was thrilled. There, in Shigure's unmistakable penmanship, were the words: _P.S. We're coming to visit for Christmas! _

The words were at the end of a typically obnoxious Shigure letter, but they stood out like they had been written in neon green. Kyo and Yuki gaped, while Tohru clapped her hands delightedly.

"They're coming _here_?"

"_All_ of them? Only some of them?"

"Harry-san, Hermione-san, Ron-san! You will finally meet the Sohmas!"

"Stop grinning, Tohru, that's _not good_!"

Tohru laughed happily as Kyo grabbed her face between his hands. "Quit laughing!" he growled playfully, which only made her laugh even more. He let out a chuckle before noticing that they had an amused audience. Kyo let go of Tohru with an embarrassed "Hn!" and dove back into his breakfast.

Harry was not a naturally perceptive person, but even he saw the expression on Tohru's face as Kyo retreated after breakfast; wistful and pink-cheeked, she silently packed her bag. Hermione shot him a glance; he knew she was seeing it too.

"Why are you avoiding Honda-san?" Yuki demanded, catching up with Kyo. He wasn't usually so direct, but he was growing tired of Kyo's attitude. Kyo scowled at him, but did not answer.

Yuki had had enough. He grabbed the front of Kyo's robes and backed him against the wall. "I don't understand what your problem is, stupid cat," he snarled in Japanese, "but you're hurting Honda-san. I can't allow that."

"Yuki! What's going on?" Ron called from behind, his voice shocked. He was rushing towards them, Harry and Hermione in tow. Yuki ignored them.

"What's your problem, Kyo? You're avoiding everyone," Yuki continued, his voice level but laced with anger. Kyo turned his head so that he was facing Yuki full on. Yuki dropped the front of Kyo's robes, so startled was he at his cousin's resigned expression.

"It's better that way," Kyo said quietly.

Yuki's annoyance flared up again. "You think so, do you? You think that hurting Honda-san's feelings, and pushing away people who want to be your friends, is better somehow?" Here he switched back to English, gesturing to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"He's right," Harry said, stepping towards Kyo. "We want to be your friends. What's up with you, anyways?"

"You don't understand a goddamned thing, do you, damn rat?" Kyo growled at Yuki in Japanese. He shouldered roughly past Yuki and stalked off.

* * *

Later that day, Harry and Tohru happened to meet each other on the way out of the library. "Hullo, Tohru," he said.

"Harry-san, hello," she replied with a bright smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Harry said, smiling back. He really liked Tohru; she was a genuine person, and he couldn't help but feel comfortable around her. Today, however, something seemed a bit off; her cheery tone seemed a little forced.

"Look, I wanted to ask you something," Harry said as they started walking.

"Anything, Harry-san!"

"Er…it's about Kyo." Her smile faltered, but Harry continued. "What's…going on with him? And you?"

Tohru's face turned cherry red. "Ah, Harry-san! Going on? With Kyo-kun and…and…me? What could possibly be going on with…ah, well, I don't—" she flustered. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Harry choked out, equally flustered. "I meant…I'm sorry, Tohru, that came out all wrong."

"Of course it did, Harry, you have close to no tact," Hermione said reproachfully. Harry and Tohru both jumped backwards.

"Hermione!"

"So, Harry's gone and put his foot in his mouth, Tohru?" Hermione said with an amused smile. Tohru, recovering a bit from her embarrassment, smiled and shook her head.

"Hmm…" Tohru made a discontented little noise. "I want to answer your question, Harry-san, but I cannot…what _is_ happening with Kyo-kun?"

That wasn't really what Harry had been wondering, but Tohru so rarely talked about Kyo that both he and Hermione listened sharply to her words. Of course, Tohru mentioned Kyo quite frequently and expressed worry over superficial things – was he cold, had he eaten enough – but it was not often that she directly addressed his stony silence since the Thestral incident.

Harry had shared his and Kyo's cryptic Hallowe'en Eve conversation with Ron and Hermione, which confirmed their suspicion about the curse. Harry doubted that Kyo had shared his theories about Dumbledore's involvement with Tohru, and he wanted desperately to ask her, but something held him back.

"I…I don't know what I did, or what I said," Tohru said softly. "He won't talk to me…"

"I don't think you said anything wrong, Tohru," Hermione responded gently.

"It was that day, you know," Tohru continued, matter-of-factly. "With the…the…Thestrals," she finally grasped the correct word. "He remembered something awful."

"Yuki told us about Kyo's mother," Harry said.

"No," Tohru said with a sad smile. "Kyo-kun didn't see his mother die…he didn't even know what had happened. He doesn't remember her very well. This was…something else."

"He tells you a lot, doesn't he, Tohru?" Hermione said.

"He used to…not everything, but some things. I am always discovering new things I don't know about Kyo-kun…" Tohru smiled, and shook her head. "Please forgive me."

Harry could sense her walls going back up. He hadn't even realized that Tohru had been putting up walls in the first place until now – but there it was, that guarded, polite smile that signaled the end of a vulnerable moment.

"Tohru," Harry said sharply. "What changed in the Sohma family before you came here?"

His question had the desired effect; Tohru took in a sharp breath and took an involuntary step backwards.

"E-eh?" she stammered.

Hermione caught Harry's eye and he nodded. They had to tell Yuki and Tohru sooner or later that they had been looking for the Sohma family's secret; it wasn't bound to be a pleasant conversation, but it was necessary.

"Something changed, didn't it?" Harry pressed on. "But it didn't feel right. It felt strange."

"Yes, it did," came a cool voice from behind them. Yuki stepped out from behind a pillar. "I truly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but this conversation is rather interesting." He smiled darkly; but his eyes were fierce.

"We're sorry, Yuki," Hermione said. "We didn't mean to pry, but-"

"Yes, you meant to pry," Yuki snapped. "You meant to and you did. You have _no idea_ what you're getting into, so I suggest you stop immediately."

"No," Hermione shot back. "I'm afraid it's too late. I'm still sorry, Yuki, but-"

"It _doesn't matter how sorry you are_!" Yuki's voice was louder than Harry had ever heard it. He stepped protectively in front of Hermione, but Yuki merely continued as if he hadn't. "You're _stupid_, all three of you! You don't understand anything, do you? Do you know what happens when you get sucked into this family? You _get hurt!"_

"You lot keep telling us," Harry said through gritted teeth, "that we don't understand. You know what, then? _Make_ us understand!"

"He is right, Yuki-kun," Tohru said, putting a hand on Yuki's arm. "They want to help us."

Yuki was shaking with barely controlled rage. "You can't," he spat out. "You just…"

"Come on, then," Harry said in a forced, jaunty voice. "Let's all take a stroll, find Kyo and Ron, and you can tell us about what horrible friends we are because we won't just sit and watch…whatever is happening with you three. It'll be great fun!" He grabbed Yuki's arm roughly and began to walk down the corridor.

"Harry," Hermione warned half-heartedly. Getting no response, she gave up and followed him.

By the time they found Kyo and Ron, Harry and Yuki were shooting glares at each other and not speaking. The atmosphere was so tense that no one commented on the strange fact that they had found Kyo and Ron sitting companionably in the Owlery. Instead, Harry stepped towards them.

"So," he said angrily. "We all need to have a chat."

"The rat finally figured out that you three were doing some digging?" Kyo smirked.

"I've known for a long time," Yuki retorted sharply. "And I want it to stop."

"Sorry, mate," Ron spoke up. "It's too late for that."

Yuki glared at him, but Ron was unfazed. "You reckon something bad will happen if the Sohmas find out what we know?"

"Oh, it will," Kyo said.

"For once, I agree with that idiot," Yuki conceded. "If the Sohmas find out you know something you shouldn't, they will take steps to correct it."

"So?" Harry said belligerently. "They can't hurt us."

"Oh, it's not a matter of hurting," Yuki said with a dark smile. "The question is, then…how much _do_ you know?"

"We know you're cursed," Hermione said. "Well, you were. Not anymore." Yuki nodded tightly, and Hermione continued. "You couldn't hug anyone of the opposite sex, you transformed into animals, and there were twelve of you."

"Ah," Yuki said. "And that's all you know?"

"Well, yes," Hermione admitted. "A curse that showed up in feudal Japan, very rare, affecting what were referred to as the Twelve. Historians lost track of it and could only presume it had either been broken or had been hidden very well."

Kyo laughed suddenly. "Well, rat," he said to Yuki, "Isn't that interesting? Westerners wouldn't really know the significance of that, would they?"

"Of _what_?" Harry asked in exasperation, but Yuki wasn't listening.

"Wait," he said, his voice dangerously on edge. "You…you _stupid_…you _helped _them?"

"Not really," Kyo said with a sharp grin. "I just told them I believed in them, that's all. I knew Granger was smart enough to figure it out, or at least I thought so. I didn't really count on the Western perspective screwing things up, though."

Yuki opened his mouth to say something, but Kyo cut him off. "You can't pretend you don't see it," he said in decidedly impolite Japanese. "The curse broke too soon, didn't it? This isn't just about the Sohmas anymore, Yuki. The curse has some significance. That addled old man interfered, and he did it for a reason, and we're at this insane school for a reason. We need to understand why. This isn't just about our stupid family dramas anymore."

Yuki's shoulders slumped, and he sighed deeply. The anger left his eyes and he ran a hand through his normally impeccable grey hair.

He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione, all of whom were thoroughly confused by his sudden change in demeanour. "Hermione," he said. "Did you hear what Kyo said about Western perspective?"

"Yes," she said carefully. "So an Easterner reading the same thing would have caught something that we're missing?"

"Yes," Yuki said. "A legend, involving twelve animals."

"Oh…" Hermione's brow furrowed. "Oh!"

"_What is it_?" Harry and Ron chorused in unison.

"The Chinese Zodiac," she said, her eyes full of wonder. "The twelve animals of the Zodiac."

"The what now?" Ron looked confused.

"You know, Ron," Harry prodded. "It's the…er…the thing you use to tell your fortunes, or something…You know, year of the Monkey, that kind of stuff…"

"Must be a Muggle thing, then," Ron said, mystified.

"So…" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. "You're the Rat, then, Yuki?"

Yuki nodded. Kyo's constant refrain of "stupid rat" hadn't gone unnoticed by Hermione's sharp ears.

"What're you, then, Kyo?" Harry asked. Kyo bristled visibly and shook his head.

"Kyo-kun is the Cat," Tohru said, speaking up for the first time. "The Cat is _not _a worthless animal." Her tone was suddenly impassioned but also imploring. "When I was little, it was my very favourite Zodiac animal."

Seeing the confused expressions on the English trio's faces, Yuki sighed. "In the legend of the Zodiac, the animals were called to a banquet."

"Oh…" Hermione suddenly realized something. "Yes, I remember the legend. The Rat was the very first to arrive and…the Rat tricked the Cat, so the Cat could not attend the banquet, and was not a member of the Zodiac."

"Well, then…" Harry looked from Kyo to Yuki and then back again. "That explains a lot."

Kyo made a frustrated noise and jumped to his feet, making to leave. Ron grabbed his arm.

"No, mate, you're not leaving yet."

For some reason, even though Kyo's strength would have allowed him to get free easily, he gave up and returned to his seat with a scowl.

"Then…" Harry said, his mouth agape, "that's why that Akito bloke is…"

"God," Yuki and Kyo said in unison, with matching bitter tones.

"So why's Voldemort looking for him?" Harry asked. "Does he have some sort of power?"

"I don't know," Yuki said. "It's hard to tell. He has power over…over us."

"He's pathetic," Kyo snapped. "He just screams and cries and forces everyone to bend to his stupid whims."

"That's not very kind of you, Sohma," came a familiar, unpleasant voice from the doorway. Everyone whirled around to face Professor Severus Snape, who was looming like a giant bat.

"Surely students of your admittedly low calibre have better things to do than loiter about," Snape continued, smiling cruelly. "Studying, perhaps, or attending to your many missed homework assignments?"

"How long've you been here?" Harry demanded.

"Long enough," Snape smirked. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Potter. I don't appreciate your tone. Now, run along, before you manage to put your other foot in your mouth."

* * *

Later, in the common room, Harry remembered something. "Er, Ron," he began.

"Yeah," Ron said absently, staring into the merrily crackling fireplace.

"Kyo's not avoiding you, then?"

Ron's ears turned pink. "Well," he muttered. Hermione motioned encouragingly for him to continue. "You know, I figured…he'd, er, want someone to talk to or something…because…" Ron lowered his head. "I know what it's like to be…you know…second best a lot. No offense, Harry…"

Harry nodded, signaling that no offense had been taken.

"So, sometimes we just…talk about stuff, you know? I've been trying for ages to get him to at least talk to Tohru again, but there's something he feels guilty about. I dunno what it is, but…I think Tohru would forgive him, wouldn't she?"

"Ron," said Hermione with a warm smile, "You're really quite kind sometimes, you know?"

Ron blushed scarlet and muttered incoherently. "Er…no…I really…"

Kyo himself entered the common room at that moment. Harry waved tentatively, gesturing for Kyo to come sit with him. After a moment of hesitation, Kyo made his way towards them and sat down.

They sat in silence for a few moments, no one really knowing quite what to say. Kyo sighed deeply and leaned back into his chair.

"I'm sorry, you know," he muttered. "About…being a jerk."

"It's OK, really," Harry said. Hermione and Ron nodded their agreement. "Kyo…what's up between you and Yuki? Why d'you…hate him so much?"

"Because he's –" Kyo's eyes flashed, but he took a deep breath and stopped himself. "It's not…his fault, really. Potter, you understand…sometimes, you're just…destined for something, right? Everyone around you pushes their stupid ideals onto you, and for some reason you have to just go along with it, because someone up there hates you and decided that's how it's going to be."

Harry did understand, very well, although he wouldn't have put it quite that way. He nodded.

"The stupid rat – Yuki," Kyo corrected himself, "Yuki and I are both victims of that, in a way. Only that lucky bastard got the good end of the stick. The rat…the rat is the first, the best, the most treasured. The cat, well…" He smiled darkly. "I have my own destiny to fulfill, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."

Hermione spoke up, somewhat timidly, since Kyo still intimidated her. "Kyo…why do you have to do what the Sohmas say? Why does Yuki? Aren't you free?"

Kyo laughed bitterly. "Hell, no. We don't turn into animals anymore, but that's the strange thing – we feel just as connected to the Sohmas as ever, and for some reason we're still listening to that pathetic Akito. That's why I think that old man meddled somewhere he shouldn't have and…forced things along for his own purposes."

"Dumbledore's not like that," Harry said hotly, defending his Headmaster. "He's a good man."

"Yeah, sure," Kyo replied. "He might be. Doesn't mean he doesn't have a plan. Don't tell me you don't know what it's like to be kept in the dark, Potter, while the grown-ups plot and scheme."

Harry slumped back in his seat. He desperately wanted to argue with Kyo, tell him that the adults in _his_ life were doing no such thing, but he couldn't. Kyo's words were tapping into the frustration that had been building for years now – he, Ron and Hermione had proved themselves perfectly capable. They had handled things that many adults had never even seen, but for some reason, no one would tell them anything. He knew Ron and Hermione felt it too.

"What about Tohru? Where does she fit in?" Ron said, changing the subject. Kyo flashed him a look of annoyance; they had been over this topic before.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "What does Tohru have to do with the Sohmas? I've never quite been able to figure it out."

"No kidding, brainiac," Kyo said sarcastically. At the slightly hurt look on Hermione's face, he gritted his teeth. "Gah. Forget it. I just meant that no one's able to figure it out, why Akito let her get so close. I think he's been using her for something. She's…that moron is just letting him do whatever he pleases. I don't understand why she's even here with us, instead of just…having a normal life, back in Japan."

"Yeah, wonder what her parents think of her gallivanting off across the world with two blokes?" Ron mused.

Kyo shot him a look of mild surprise. "Didn't she tell you about her parents?"

"She's never mentioned them," Hermione mused. "Are they…"

"Dead," Kyo said shortly, his tone suddenly angry. "Her dad when she was little, and her mom…Whatever. They're dead."

Harry felt a rush of sympathy for Tohru. Ron and Hermione looked startled, but Harry wasn't surprised that Tohru had never mentioned it in conversation. He hated telling people – "My parents are dead" was a phrase that stung deeply. He hated the finality of it, but how else could you say it? He thought, not for the first time, that perhaps he and Tohru were not so different. The last thing he ever wanted was those pitying side-glances from people who didn't even know him, and he imagined she felt the same.

No one knew what to say for a moment, and they all watched the sun set outside the window, magnificent oranges and pinks streaking across the Hogwarts grounds. Hagrid and Fang could be seen outside Hagrid's hut, Fang frolicking joyfully in the frosted remnants of the pumpkin patch while Hagrid looked on fondly.

"There's something we're missing," Hermione said, an edge of frustration in her voice. "There's something we're not understanding."

"I know," Kyo replied. "Lord Whatever is looking for Akito, but…"

"Why?" Harry finished his sentence. "And why send you three to Hogwarts? So you can learn magic? What's that going to…" He trailed off, brow furrowed.

Ron was playing with a wizard chess piece – a pawn. In frustration, he knocked down the king. The pawn wriggled out of his hand and shouted unintelligible curse words at him in a tiny voice as the king grumbled and picked himself up.

"Oh shut it, you," Ron muttered, but he let the pawn march away to its box anyways. Harry watched it go. Hermione was right, they were missing something; it was tugging elusively at the edge of his mind, but for some reason, the answers were eluding his grasp.

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuun!

Ahhh. I don't know about you all, but I'm relieved Kyo's friends with everyone again. Hahaha, I'm so attached to all these characters...even though I put them through terrible things and fights with each other...This is the last emo chapter for a while, I promise!

Okay, now I owe everyone a bit of an explanation. To put it simply I've just had a really bad year, with two deaths in the family, legal battles with a former roommate, my boyfriend being hospitalized, and schoolwork piling up. I'm so sorry I dropped NN for a while without a good explanation. I really do want to finish it. Feedback is always welcome! If you have any guesses as to plot details, feel free to share 'em, although I might not confirm or deny...hahaha.

I want to say a huge, enthusiastic, loving THANK-YOU to everyone for coming back! I got a surprising and delightful amount of reviews not just from new readers, but also old readers who came back and somehow managed to get back in the swing of things. If anyone's reading this and this applies to them, even if I didn't hear from you, I LOVE YOU TO BITS. I also LOVE NEW READERS TO BITS. You're all wonderful!

Much love, and feel free to kick my ass if I start slacking again,

Lysi

P.S. I'm trying to respond to every review, but I'm kind of dumb and sometimes can't figure out if I've responded to something already or not. If you want to get in touch with me and I haven't responded to your review, please do PM me or even email me at lysi dot aria at gmail dot com.


	11. Christmas

Despite the tumultuous conflicts they had run into in the course of their friendship, it seemed now that the six teenagers were closer than ever. Christmas was fast approaching, bringing with it the joyous anticipation of holidays, presents, and parties. It was almost impossible to quench the irrepressible Christmas spirit that permeated the air, and as the teachers rushed to hopelessly cram some last bits of knowledge into the heads of their excited students, it was difficult to dwell on anything.

"Are you lot going back to Japan for your holidays?" Dean Thomas asked merrily, thumping Yuki on the shoulder. "Or will you be staying to see a real English Christmas?"

"What about you, Dean?" Seamus said. "Going home to see your mam?"

Dean grinned back. "Of course. Where else would I get a proper Christmas dinner?"

His question was, of course, somewhat jesting. The handful of students who would be remaining at Hogwarts for the holidays had a resplendent Christmas feast to look forward to, with merrily crackling fireplaces to doze in front of later, once they were thoroughly stuffed.

Hogwarts spared nothing in the Christmas preparations. Every day, new decorations appeared in the Great Hall, and in certain classrooms. Of course, the Potions dungeon remained as austere as ever, but Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom smelled deliciously of pine and acorns from the multitude of wreaths pinned to the walls and floating merrily in midair. Even Professor McGonagall had allowed a few jolly Christmas ribbons space on her classroom walls.

Of course, with Christmas came the chill air and the last of lessons; snow had settled itself comfortably over the Hogwarts grounds, creating a picturesque scene. Tohru laughed happily whenever she accidentally wandered into the crossfire of a snowball fight, even after taking a snowball or two directly to the head. Kyo, to the surprise and eventual acceptance of his fellow students, turned out to be an invaluable asset in these fights. His superb reflexes combined with his fierce competitiveness meant that Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike tried to get him on their teams, often bribing him with food. Yuki, on the other hand, stayed clear of the snowball fights entirely, often shaking his head as he walked past.

"Barbaric, isn't it?" Ernie Macmillan said pompously, seating himself next to Yuki on the stone steps where Yuki was watching yet another vigorous snow war and sipping hot cocoa. Yuki nodded his agreement, grinning. "I never take part in that kind of thing," Ernie continued, shaking his head, "but those ninnies seem to be enjoying themselves, don't they?" His tone was more good-humoured than condescending, and a smile was tugging at the edges of his lips. Yuki liked the Hufflepuffs, Ernie especially. Tohru sometimes walked to class with Ernie's friend Hannah Abbott, a sweet girl with pigtails.

"I'm just making sure Tohru doesn't hurt herself," Yuki said with a smile. "Looks like they've finally roped her into a fight."

Sure enough, with goading and prodding from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls, Tohru had laughingly consented to get in on the fun. She was terrible, there was no doubt about it – a tall, stocky Hufflepuff boy kept stealing her snowballs just after she painstakingly formed them, by pointing his wand and commanding "Accio!" through fits of laughter. Finally, with a determined look on her face, Tohru commanded "Accio!" right back, and her stolen snowball zipped out of the boy's hands and returned to its rightful owner. The boy's expression was briefly startled, before he and several watching students broke into uproarious guffaws.

"So are you her boyfriend, then?" Ernie prodded mischeivously. Yuki spit his cocoa and choked.

"It was a joke!" cried Ernie, thumping Yuki on the back. The pale boy recovered and stopped choking.

"No, no," Yuki said, shaking his head. "It's not like that with Tohru…" he trailed off. "But, is it like that with you and Hannah Abbott?" he fired back with a wicked grin.

"Absolutely not!" said Ernie matter-of-factly. "We're just very good friends, you know. And notice how I didn't choke when you asked me."

"Ha ha," Yuki said drily. They both continued to watch the snowball fight until its end, although no one could quite tell who had won through the screams and laughter.

* * *

Harry was finally starting to really register the pileup of homework. He dimly wondered how Hermione could manage to be even more worried than he was – her homework was always done on time and handed back with perfect grades. That fact didn't stop her as she frantically studied in her spare time, after running out of assignments to complete.

"The OWLs are this year, Harry, you've got to take them seriously," she snapped over a large pile of books. "You too, Ron!"

"Oh, Hermione, they're _ages_ away," Ron said, unconcerned. "We're all going to pass, anyways."

"Not at the rate you two have been going!" Hermione glared at them both. Harry slumped miserably in his chair. He didn't even want to think about homework right now.

Later, when they were strolling through the halls (and subtly avoiding Hermione's nagging,) Ron seemed a bit worried.

"You don't suppose we _should_ start studying?" he fretted. "We _will_ pass, won't we?"

"'Course we will," Harry said with false bravado. "If we don't, Hermione will have our skins."

"I bet Yuki's going to ace them," Ron said, a bit enviously. "Maybe even give Hermione a run for her money."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I bet he will. Ron, can we not talk about the OWLs?" He was starting to feel on edge with the whole discussion.

"You bet," Ron agreed heartily.

Hermione was not the only one already worrying about OWLs. They had to be careful to avoid mentioning the exams in Tohru's presence, or it would set her off into a blind panic. Somehow, Yuki had time not only to finish his own homework (and perfectly, to boot) but also to patiently help Tohru with hers. She worked long and hard, but she was only human after all; she lacked the natural scholarly aptitude of Yuki and Hermione, which Harry secretly found a bit comforting. Kyo, on the other hand, seemed to treat homework like a nuisance – he did it when necessary and earned the necessary grades, frustrating his teachers. McGonagall had occasionally made pointed remarks on his potential to do better, which seemed to fly straight over his head.

The odd friendship between Kyo and Ron remained strong, although now Kyo was opening up to Harry and Hermione as well. As they had in the weeks before that fateful Care of Magical Creatures class, the six spent most of their time together, joined increasingly by other Gryffindors and the occasional Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood in particular were quite taken with Tohru, and the sentiment was very much returned. The three often studied or walked to classes together, Luna entertaining them both with mad tales from the Quibbler, delivered in her strange and dreamy voice.

Finally, the last week of class was upon them. Professor Snape seemed to take the holidays as a personal affront, and was determined to squeeze in as much misery as he could before his victims were freed from the Potions dungeon until spring semester. He snapped, glared and hovered over the hapless Gryffindors as they struggled to complete increasingly difficult potion recipes. That, combined with Professor Umbridge's increasing unpleasantness, put something of a pallor over the building holiday excitement.

"Honda," she sing-songed in class one day, a menacing smile on her face. "Would you please recite your answer to the eleventh question found in yesterday's homework?"

"Yes," Tohru replied hastily, beginning to shuffle through her papers in search of the assignment. It had been a particularly nasty one, with answers expected to be in the format of mini-essays. Since English was still not Tohru's strong point, everyone (even Harry and Ron) had helped her as best they could with her grammar and with deciphering the textbook's dull, dry passages.

"Oh, no, no, no, Miss Honda," Umbridge said wickedly, a smug grin on her toadlike face. "Now that wouldn't do, would it? Recite it _from memory_, please."

A sharp whisper travelled around the classroom. Even for someone without Tohru's difficulties in English, the request was cruel – with answers expected to be at least three paragraphs long, there were very few who could even remember the first half of their answers.

"Ah…" Tohru trailed off, her cheeks turning pink.

"Why?" Seamus Finnigan asked loudly.

"Hem-hem," Umbridge coughed as the class began to whisper. "Mr. Finnigan, I don't know that you're qualified to tell me how to run a class," she said in a sickly sweet tone. "Are you qualified to teach a class, Mr. Finnigan?"

"No, but neither are you," Harry snapped, finally losing his temper. Umbridge turned to him, a scandalized expression on her face.

"Defensive spells are not necessary for anyone other than Aurors employed at the Ministry of Magic," Tohru interrupted, standing up. "In this chapter, we learned about the various defensive spells an Auror might use and the theory behind them," she continued in a strong, clear voice. "Expelliarmus is a beginning spell, but its value must never be under-" she stumbled over the word, then continued. "Under-underestimated. Expelliarmus causes the opponent's wand to fly out of his hand, leaving him effectively weaponless."

The class was stunned to silence – meek Tohru was reciting the homework answers, from memory. Umbridge opened her mouth to berate Harry, but Tohru talked right over her.

"The Expelliarmus spell is, of course, useless to anyone other than an Auror. In the peaceful life of the model magical citizen, there is no need to render anyone wandless," Tohru droned on over Umbridge's protests. Eventually Umbridge gave up and her fat little body heaved itself into her desk chair, where she sat watching Tohru with her beady little eyes.

As Tohru boldly forged on, gaining confidence as she went, the excitement in the class was palpable. Students were stifling laughter and trying to avoid Umbridge's deadly glare. Kyo was grinning wolfishly from ear to ear, his face filled with pride.

Finally Tohru concluded her reading. She smiled politely, bowed to Umbridge, and sat quietly in her seat. There was a long silence.

"Class…is dismissed," Umbridge choked out, her fat face turning a very ugly shade.

When they arrived for lunch in the Great Hall, Tohru was met with a wave of whoops, cheers and applause – the word had spread. She blushed scarlet and nearly dove under the nearest table, but Yuki glanced at the teacher's table – he could have sworn he saw McGonagall raise her glass in Tohru's direction, with just a hint of a smile.

Umbridge was particularly nasty for the remainder of the week, but with Tohru's courageous stand still fresh in everyone's memory, it hardly dampened the current of excitement carrying them all towards the Christmas holidays.

* * *

Finally classes were done, and it was decided that the Sohmas would be spending the holidays with the Order of the Phoenix at Grimmauld Place. Arthur Weasley came to collect them from the train station in his magically enhanced Ford Anglia, and soon they stepped into the dark, dim front hallway.

The Order had made an attempt at cheering the place up for Christmas; the dingy walls were crammed with wreaths and pinecones and ribbons. Mrs Black's portrait had been covered by a particularly jolly blanket knitted with a pattern of Christmas trees and little presents. The effect was somewhat jarring, but the familiar sounds of people bustling about the house and chattering livened up the atmosphere more than decorations ever could.

"Well, we're home," Mr. Weasley said happily. "And, Tohru, someone's been waiting eagerly for you to get here."

"Eh?"

"Onee-chan?" a small voice came from down the hall.

Tohru's eyes widened and her face turned pink with happiness. Her eyes filled with joyous tears. For a second she just stood there, and then she suddenly took off running down the hallway.

"_Kisa-san!_" she cried. The rest followed to see her locked in a bone-crushing hug with a little girl. They were both laughing and crying as they hugged. After a moment of this, they began chattering away rapidly in Japanese.

"Kisa!" Yuki said happily. The little girl extricated herself from Tohru's arms and smiled at Yuki. She was a stunningly beautiful child, with flaming orange hair and exquisitely delicate features.

"Konban-wa, watashi no namae wa Sohma Kisa," she said politely and bowed to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"They don't know Japanese, stupid," Kyo said, although his tone was affectionate. "How much English have you learned in school?"

Kisa blushed. "Ah," she stammered. "I am Sohma Kisa. Pleased to meet you," she tried again in stilted English. Tohru smiled proudly and collected Kisa into another adoring hug.

"Nice to meet you, Kisa," Hermione said, bowing. Harry and Ron awkwardly gave their names and followed suit. It was almost too much for Kisa; she turned pink again and, flustered, hid her face in Tohru's robes.

"Kisa-san is a little shy," Tohru explained kindly.

"Wait," Kyo said, his eyes narrowing. "If Kisa is here already, then who else-"

"Children! _It's Daddy!_" a voice came from down the hall. Yuki kept his cool and stepped to the side, but Kyo and Tohru weren't fast enough – they were caught in a flying tackle hug by a tall man with dark, shaggy hair.

"GAHHHH!" Kyo choked out. He punched the man in the stomach and wriggled free, taking Tohru with him.

"Ow," the man said, his bottom lip quivering. "You're terrible. Just terrible. How did Kazuma-san ever raise such a terrible child?"

"Shigure-san!" Tohru said delightedly, although she stepped warily back in case of another tackle hug.

"I guess you haven't met him, but this is Shigure, our cousin," Yuki introduced. "He's creepy, don't get too close."

"I like him just fine," someone chuckled. This time it was Harry, Ron and Hermione's turn for a bear hug.

"Sirius!"

Sirius Black chuckled and gripped Harry's arm affectionately. Molly Weasley was next to come down the hallway, and following her were a crowd of unfamiliar people – Sohmas, Harry guessed – and assorted Order members. After the hugs, kisses, greetings, and chattering subsided away, they all trouped to the kitchen, where a sprawling and delicious meal was spread.

"Right. Let's just go round the table and get everyone's names straight," Sirius said, when everyone was properly seated. Tonks and Lupin introduced themselves; Mrs. Weasley introduced herself, her husband, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny; Mad-Eye Moody grunted his name as his eye spun crazily; and finally Harry, Ron and Hermione introduced themselves.

The Sohmas seated around the table were a strange mix of bright hair and eye colours, different ages, and strange styles of dress. The tall, lanky boy with black and white hair was Hatsuharu, and next to him was Rin, whose piercing eyes seemed to bore directly through you. Kisa held the hand of an enthusiastic blond boy named Momiji, whose speech bounced confusingly and joyously through a mixture of Japanese, English and what sounded like German. Harry recognized Ayame, Yuki's eccentric older brother, who was once again dressed and coiffed impeccably. Last was Hatori, a serious-looking man in an expensive suit, who nodded politely but otherwise seemed aloof.

Harry learned that not all of the Sohmas had come; some had to stay for family reasons or to work at their jobs. He saw no one matching the description of Akito, the Head of the Sohma family, although he filed it away to ask Kyo or Yuki about later.

"We have a couple more coming," Shigure explained, with a mysterious smile. "They can't stay for too long, though."

"Kagura?" Kyo asked, his expression somewhat pained.

"Alas, your dear love has to work over the holidays," Shigure sighed. Kyo's shoulders slumped in obvious relief.

"Kagura-neechan is working at a…a…Kindertagesstätte," Momiji said with a huge grin.

"A daycare," Hatori corrected, with a hint of an amused smile.

"Oh!" Tohru sighed, smiling widely. "That's so wonderful! She's…" her sentence trailed off.

"Always wanted to," Hatsuharu finished gently. No one asked why Kagura Sohma had never been able to work at a daycare before, and it seemed that no one would answer such a question, anyway.

"Tohru, Yuki, Kyo," Lupin smiled kindly at the three. "How have you been adjusting? How has Hogwarts been treating you?"

"Yes, Tohru!" Momiji cheered, nearly jumping out of his seat. "Tell us about the Hog-warts! Ayame-niisan said there is a giant!"

Dinner was spent in a lively discussion about Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and magic in general. The Sohmas had arrived in England three days prior and had been spending time with the various Order members who drifted in and out of Grimmauld Place, so most everyone was acquainted; everyone seemed quite taken with Kisa and Momiji. Hiro, it turned out, was at home – his mother, Satsuki, was pregnant with her second child. Ritsu was also still in Japan, helping his mother at the onsen. Akito was not mentioned, and by association, neither was Kureno.

Just as the Sohmas had infinite questions about magical life, the Order of the Phoenix members (Arthur Weasley in particular) were enthralled with even mundane details of ordinary Japanese life. Hatsuharu somehow found himself trying to explain martial arts to a very eager Charlie Weasley.

"You mean, Muggles actually go to school to learn to beat each other up?" he crowed, his eyes bright with excitement.

"No wands," Haru laughed easily. "We've gotta find some way to defend ourselves."

"Show us!" Bill urged.

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Weasley cut in. She glared at a disappointed Kyo, who had already been cracking his knuckles and eyeing Yuki.

* * *

After a long evening of animated conversation, Tohru and Rin eventually found themselves curled up in front of the fireplace. Kisa and Momiji were fast asleep, Hatsuharu was off with Yuki, and the adults were still talking around the kitchen table. Tohru had settled comfortably into a squashy armchair, while Rin sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Ne, Isuzu-san," Tohru said softly.

"What?" Rin's tone was sharp, as usual, but she had allowed her head to rest affectionately next to Tohru's knee.

"Why did you cut off your hair?"

"Hm," Rin grunted, her shoulders tensing visibly. "Does it matter?"

Tohru shook her head, but the corners of her mouth pulled downwards into a slight frown. "Well, no…"

"Things are changing back home, Tohru," Rin said, her voice hard. "Do you know that?"

The slight brunette let her gaze drift towards the fire. "No, Isuzu-san, I didn't…is everyone…okay?"

"You're stupid."

Tohru sat bolt upright, her face turning red. "Eh? I'm sorry, Isuzu-san!"

Rin's outburst had been characteristically harsh, but her features softened into a resigned expression. "Tohru…we're all…bad people." Tohru looked like she was going to protest, but Rin shushed her. "No…the Sohmas...we involved someone like you. That's why I didn't want to cry to you, why I fought so hard to resist being your friend. People like you are so…so kind…" she ran a hand through her messily cropped hair. "People like that get stepped on. Like bugs," she snapped. "Now you're halfway across the world, away from your family and friends, because the Sohmas told you to…now you have nowhere to go if you want to get away from…this." Rin made an exasperated gesture.

"Akito-san did that, didn't he?" Tohru tugged on a strand of Rin's hair, looking her dead in the eyes. Rin opened her mouth to say something angrily, swatting Tohru's hand away, but Tohru spoke right over her. "Isuzu-san. You talk about these "kind people," but _you're_ a kind person," she said firmly. "You were hurt by Akito, and you want to protect your loved ones from being hurt that way. Did you tell Hatsuharu-san about this?"

"It's none of your goddamn business," Rin snapped.

"Then, it's none of _your_ business if I choose to come here!" cried Tohru. "I'm sorry, Isuzu-san, but it's too late to tell me to stop getting involved. I made a choice, and I want to…I want to stay with all of you!"

Both Rin and Tohru had gotten to their feet, and were facing each other squarely. Rin's fists were clenched at her sides. "You think that the curse is broken, don't you?" Rin said hotly. "You think that you stepped in and saved the day and we can all go back to…well, whatever the hell "normal" is? You think it's _that goddamn easy_?"

Tears of frustration were starting to build behind Tohru's eyes, creating a prickling feeling she tried to force down. "It's not broken," she said fiercely. "I know that. I know that! I want to…"

"_Give me a break_," Rin snarled. "Go home to Japan, Tohru! There's no reason for you to be here, away from everything, it's – it's –" her shoulders began to shake. "It's dangerous here!" she cried, her face going deathly pale. Tears were now openly flowing down Tohru's cheeks, but her expression remained fiercely stubborn.

"What's going on in here?"

Remus Lupin, Molly Weasley and Shigure Sohma stood in the doorway. Shigure smiled darkly. "Little Rin," he said softly in Japanese. "Have you made Tohru cry again?"

Tohru covered her face and fled upstairs, past a startled Hermione. "Shut your stupid mouth," Rin growled, and pushed past Shigure.

"Don't leave the house, my pet!" he called blithely after her. A door slammed in response.

"What were they fighting about?" Lupin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Who knows?" Shigure said, with a shrug. "Unusual to see Tohru so worked up, but Rin's always been temperamental."

"Poor dears," fretted Mrs. Weasley. "Perhaps I should –"

"Neither will talk," Shigure said cheerily. "Tohru will be polite about it, at least, but Rin might bite your head off. Just let them cool down for now."

* * *

"Rin's worried sick about you three," Haru told Yuki casually. He was lying on his back on the floor, with his legs propped up against the wall. It looked unnatural but Haru seemed to be quite comfortable.

"I'm worried about _you_," Yuki replied with a sigh. "What's it like back at home, Haru? Be honest."

"Oh, you know, this and that…" Haru glanced up at Yuki from under his hair. He grinned wickedly. "Don't worry yourself, my darling Yuki."

"Stop that," Yuki said, making a face. "I said to be honest."

"Hmm. Akito's angry, but when is he not?" Haru let his head flop back against the floor, running a hand through his already-messy hair.

"How bad is it, Haru?"

Haru's eyes suddenly went very hard. "I think he did something to Rin. They said she was in the hospital, but then…why was her hair all cut off? That's not like her. She's not telling me something."

Yuki was about to reply when they heard raised voices coming from downstairs. Someone came running down the hallway and closed the door forcefully behind them. He got to his feet quickly and stepped out into the hallway; seeing that Harry and Ron had done the same, he shared a puzzled look with them. Soon Rin stomped up the stairs. "Don't leave the house, my pet!" they heard Shigure's voice call after her. "Piss off," Rin growled under her breath, ducking into the room she shared with Kisa and slamming the door.

"What's going on?" Ron asked. Hermione trotted up the stairs, also wearing a confused expression.

"Was someone fighting with Rin?" Haru drawled, the hardness gone from his eyes.

"Yes…I think it was Tohru," Hermione replied. "I was just going to go see if…"

"What's going on?"

Yuki sighed, restraining himself. "For God's sake, Kyo. Where were you?"

Kyo narrowed his eyes, but didn't answer.

"Well, I'm going to go see Rin," Haru said nonchalanty. Hands in his pockets, he strolled towards the door Rin had just slammed.


End file.
